Why Do Holocaust Survivors Remember What They Remember?

Canham, Sarah L.; Peres, Hagit; O’Rourke, Norm; King, David B.; Wertman, Annette; Carmel, Sara; Bachner, Yaacov G.

doi:10.1093/geront/gnw131

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In addition, these situations burden the caregivers, making it more difficult for our participants to acknowledge WWII trauma. We can also assume that suffering as a result of parental betrayal, as an individual trauma, could attract less social recognition than the suffering caused by the Nazi invaders, which is classified as a collective trauma (Canham et al, 2017). Obviously, our qualitative results need further examination but can shed some new light on the long-lasting psychological impact of WWII trauma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Finally, in this study, we conducted a qualitative followup to a quantitative analysis in order to use qualitative data to more deeply explain the results on the quantitative level (Creswell and Zhang, 2009). The interviews were focused on the content and main themes of early-childhood memories and were conducted with the assumption proposed by studies on autobiographical memory among Holocaust survivors that "Holocaust survivors remember what they remember because these memories have functional value" (Canham et al, 2017(Canham et al, , p. 1159. A thematic analysis of these data showed three themes of reminiscence among participants: parental efficacy, parental betrayal, and support from the invader.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long-Term Psychological Consequences of World War II Trauma Among Polish Survivors: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Role of Social Acknowledgment

et al. 2020

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Background: The research on the psychological consequences of World War II (WWII) trauma has predominantly focused on concentration camp and Holocaust survivors. Only a few studies have been undertaken among civilian survivors of WWII. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between perceived social acknowledgment of WWII trauma and the level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms among Polish survivors of WWII by employing a mixed-methods design (i.e., a quantitative analysis supported by qualitative interviews). Method: In the quantitative part, 123 participants filled out: the list of WWII-related traumatic events, the PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (PCL-5), the shortened version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Social Acknowledgment Questionnaire (SAQ). In the qualitative part, an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of participants' reminiscences of WWII was examined. Results: Although we observed a direct positive association between the number of WWII-related traumatic events and the intensity of PTSD and depressive symptoms, these relationships changed when we entered the social acknowledgment construct into the model. Specifically, we found that perceived social acknowledgment (general disapproval) was a mediator of the relationship between the number of WWII traumatic events and the intensity of PTSD symptoms only, and not of depressive symptoms. In the qualitative part, three themes relating to traumatic reminiscences emerged among the participants: parental efficacy, parental betrayal, and support from the invader. Conclusion: Our study showed the significance of the general social acknowledgment in the long-term mental consequences of the WWII trauma in Poland. In addition, the results of our study may be an adjunct to the discussion on the long-term impact of WWII trauma in Poland and the factors that hindered its social recognition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Psychological Consequences of World War II Trauma Among Polish Survivors: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Role of Social Acknowledgment

et al. 2020

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“…I became more optimistic, open, believing. (Canham et al, 2016) These findings may suggest another aspect of the paradox of well-being: Having experienced great loss and deprivation in early life, HS come to see their lives positively in later years. The juxtaposition between the conditions of life then and now enables HS to see the present very positively by contrast.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is likely that "by bridging the past and the present, survivors have come to understand and appreciate their current life circumstances relative to the past" (p. 6). Survivors' memories could provide a context whereby the world at war stands in contrast to the world today, allowing the transformation of painful memories into a source of strength (Canham et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Paradox of Well-Being and Holocaust Survivors

Bachner

Carmel

O’Rourke

2017

J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc

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“…49. Sarah L Canham et al (2017), ‘Why Do Holocaust Survivors Remember What They Remember?’, the Gerontologist 57 (6) 1158-65: 1158.…”

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confidence: 99%

‘Never forget’: fictionalising the Holocaust survivor with dementia

Vice

2020

Med Humanities

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This article asks what the reasons are for the frequent linking of the image of the Holocaust with that of dementia in contemporary discursive and representational practice. In doing so, it analyses some of the numerous 21st-century examples of fiction, drama and film in which the figure of a Holocaust survivor living with dementia takes centre stage. It explores the contradictory cultural effects that arise from making such a connection, in contexts that include expressions of fear at the spectacle of dementia, as well as comparisons between the person living with that condition and the inmate of a concentration camp. Detailed consideration of novels by Jillian Cantor and Harriet Scott Chessman as well as a play by Michel Wallenstein and a film by Josh Appignanesi suggests that the fictions of this kind can appear to provide solace for the impending loss of the eyewitness generation, yet also offer potential for a model for caregiving practice to those living with dementia in broader terms.

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Why Do Holocaust Survivors Remember What They Remember?

Cited by 9 publications

References 33 publications

Long-Term Psychological Consequences of World War II Trauma Among Polish Survivors: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Role of Social Acknowledgment

Long-Term Psychological Consequences of World War II Trauma Among Polish Survivors: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Role of Social Acknowledgment

The Paradox of Well-Being and Holocaust Survivors

‘Never forget’: fictionalising the Holocaust survivor with dementia

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