The effects of multiple trauma: An exploratory
study of daughters of Jewish Holocaust survivors who themselves experienced
childhood physical and/or sexual abuse
By Sandra Maxine Lynton, PsyD
School of California School of Professional Psychology
(Berkeley/Alameda - 1998
PUBLICATION NUMBER AAT 9836015
PAGES 189, ADVISER Curtis-Boles, Harriet; Goldman,
Daryl
ISBN 0-591-89506-4 SOURCE DAI-B 59/06, p. 3065,
Dec 1998
SUBJECT PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL (0622); WOMEN'S STUDIES
(0453); SOCIOLOGY, INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY STUDIES (0628); PSYCHOLOGY,
DEVELOPMENTAL (0620)
The purpose of this study was to explore the effects
of multiple trauma, specifically the intergenerational impact of the Holocaust
and child abuse. A sizeable body of literature focuses on the impact of various
types of child abuse on later adult life. There are also numerous publications
focusing on the impact of the trauma of the Holocaust on survivors and their
offspring. More recently the issue of violence in Jewish families in the
U.S. has appeared in the literature. However, there has been no prior research
about child abuse in Jewish Holocaust survivor families. This exploratory
study gathered information from ten daughters of Jewish Holocaust survivors
who experienced child abuse, giving voice to their personal experiences.
A qualitative case studies design was used to gain an understanding of the
world viewpoints and experiences of a few representative individuals from
this population through the use of in- depth interviews. All of the participants
discussed having been impacted in a negative way as a result of being daughters
of Holocaust survivors and having experienced childhood physical and/or sexual
abuse themselves. They all had symptoms of anxiety and depression as children
and adolescents. They all had strained and conflicted relationships with
their parents, yet felt protective of them, or felt anguish for them because
of their Holocaust experiences. They were all on extreme ends of a continuum
between trust and mistrust. Another common theme was having difficulties
with intimacy and intimate relationships. The common characteristics of women
who have experienced child abuse and those found to be experienced by offspring
of Holocaust survivors overlap greatly. What is specific to this population
are the cumulative effects of experiencing both types of trauma in question.
Silence and isolation are serious problems. The voices of the women in this
study suggest that finding a safe place to talk openly and process both the
Holocaust and child abuse is critical for healing.
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