The impact of parental communication of Holocaust related trauma on children / Vivian Eskin

This intergenerational study of Holocaust survivors and their children examined relationships among parental narcissism, children's perceptions of parental communication of Holocaust experiences, and children's guilt, anger, and depression. Parental narcissism was measured by the Selfism Scale. Children's perceptions of parental communication of Holocaust experiences was measured by the Communication Questionnaire. Children's guilt, anger, and depression were measured, respectively, by the Mosher Forced Choice Guilt Scale, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depressed Mood Scale. Results based on 46 parent child dyads indicated parental narcissism was related to parental guilt-inducing communication, but positively, to children's trait anger. Children's depression and anger were related to several dimensions of parental communication.