Resilience and Vulnerability Among Aging Holocaust Survivors and Their Families: An Intergenerational Overview

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on the long-term effects of the Holocaust on survivors, their offspring, and their grandchildren. Two major conclusions are drawn. First, the functioning of these three generations is best characterized by general resilience along with specific vulnerabilities. Thus, although most survivors and their descendents lead normal lives, specific vulnerabilities may appear under adverse situations and are interwoven in the family dynamics. Second, the aging process not only presents increasing challenges to the survivors themselves but also reshapes the intergenerational relations within their families.

Family Involvement and Holocaust Salience among Offspring and Grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors

“…This finding may suggest that family atmosphere does not automatically extend from the survivors' families to the OHS's families, and that specific characteristics and mechanisms among survivors and their offspring enabled the continuation of the transmission (Giladi & Bell, 2013;Letzter-Pouw et al, 2014;Scharf, 2007;Scharf & Mayseless, 2011). This finding is therefore in line with previous findings that suggest that, although transmission among GHS does not reach the level of psychiatric psychopathology ( Bar-On, 1995;Shmotkin et al, 2011), GHS still present with problems in differentiation of the self, poorer family communication, and higher perceived transmission of the Holocaustrelated burden from their parents (Giladi & Bell, 2013;Letzter-Pouw et al, 2014).…”

“…One possible explanation of these findings is that some vulnerability comes to the surface as OHS age and need to cope with age-related losses (Hazani & Shasha, 2008;Shmotkin et al, 2011) or due to the effect of these changes on the GHS who are undergoing their own parenting experiences. The rationale for this explanation is backed by previous research results indicating that the signs of transmission become more evident under stressful situations (Baider, Goldzweig, Ever-Hadani, & Peretz, 2006Scharf, 2007;Solomon, Kotler, & Mikulincer, 1988;Yehuda, Schmeidler, Wainberg, Binder-Brynes, & Duvdevani, 1998).…”

Gene-Environment Interplay in Interpersonal Relationships across the Lifespan

“…These studies painted a picture of the conservation of resilience but with the holocaust survivor generation now almost all lost to ordinary mortality we have missed a chance to probe this process with modern-day neurobiology. (The literature on holocaust survivors is vast but see Barel et al 2010;Dekel et al 2012;Sagi-Schwartz et al 2008;Shmotkin et al 2011. ) Finally, I want to return to a small point earlier in this chapter and enlarge it here in a concluding paragraph.…”

Parental Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Are Related to Successful Aging in Offspring of Holocaust Survivors

“…The literature on physical and psychological morbidity of middle-aged OHS generally shows conflicting evidence (for reviews, see Danieli, 1998; Solomon, 1998; Kellermann, 2009; Shmotkin et al, 2011). An extensive meta-analysis (van IJzendoorn et al, 2003), which looked at 32 samples published by 2003, failed to find any difference between OHS and comparisons across several measures of psychosocial functioning.…”