- Summary
- It is almost universally acknowledged that the aftermath of World War II has left enduring wounds on Holocaust Survivors and that they continue to suffer from their experiences. The effects of the Survivor's past traumatization on their relationship with their children is believed to have deeply effected their children. In this study, 57 daughters of Holocaust Survivors (DOS) were compared with 45 daughters of parents who did not experience the Holocaust in any direct way (Controls) to see whether differences in levels of object relatedness, perception of parents, and fear of intimacy would be found. Subjects completed a demographic questionnaire, the Bell Object Relations Inventory, the Parent-Child Relations Questionnaire II (PCR-II) for each parent, and the Fear of Intimacy Scale. Significant differences were found between the two groups on the Alienation and Insecure Attachment Subscales of the Bell, with DOS showing significantly more Alienation and Insecure Attachment. All subjects were, however, within normal range of functioning. No significant differences were found between groups on the Fear of Intimacy Scale. On the PCR-II, DOS perceived their fathers as significantly less loving and more rejecting than Controls. No significant differences were found between the two groups on any other factor of the PCRII. For DOS only, all of the Bell subscales correlated significantly with the Love/Reject factor for fathers of the PCRII; the more rejecting their perception of their fathers' behavior, the lower their levels of object relatedness. For both groups, only the Love/Reject factor of the PCRII for perception of mothers' correlated significantly with levels of object relatedness. A significant correlation between DOS' perception of their fathers as rejecting and fear of intimacy was found. This did not hold true for controls. No differences were found between groups on self-report ratings of relationships with their significant other or husband, their father, mother, children, or friends, suggesting that DOS are as able as Controls to form meaningful, satisfying relationships in their lives. Additionally, although they perceived their fathers as being rejecting towards them while they were growing up, their relationships with their fathers appear to have undergone a healing process.
- Format
- Book
- Author/Creator
- Schneider, Geanie Klapholz.
- Published
- [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1996
- Notes
-
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Adelphi University, 1996.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 133-145).
Photocopy. Ann Arbor, Mich. : UMI. Dissertation Services, 1997. 22 cm.
Dissertations and Theses
