Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Secondary traumatization among former prisoners of wars' adult children: The mediating role of parental bonding
Journal Name
Anxiety, Stress, & Coping
Journal Volume
28
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
162-178
DOI
10.1080/10615806.2014.923097
Summary
An examination of secondary traumatization symptoms and parental bonding among adult children of former prisoners of war (ex-POWs' children) that were compared to adult children of comparable Veterans (controls' children). In addition, the mediating role of parental bonding and exposure to stress in the association between group and secondary traumatization symptoms was analyzed. Overall, forty years after the war ended, the experience of living with ex-POWs is associated with ex-POWs' children psychological outcome.
Key Findings
Ex-POWs’ children reported a higher number of secondary traumatization symptoms and lower levels of fathers’ care, when compared to controls’ children.
Parental care and exposure to stress stemming from fathers’ behaviors and fathers’ care was found to mediate the association between the ex-POWs’ children and secondary traumatization symptoms.
Ex-POWs’ children show positive relations between secondary traumatization symptoms and father overprotection and negative relations with father care.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide safe spaces for ex POWs and their families to interact with others who have had similar experiences
Develop training for professionals who work with military families around secondary trauma and its effects on military spouses and children
Provide a screening and support for military children that might be effected negatively by secondary trauma
Implications for Policy Makers
Extend and support policies that clearly focus on the needs of military members who have undergone traumatic experiences, their children, and spouses
Support professional development for education professionals who work with military families (e.g., teachers, counselors, social workers) around issues associated with secondary trauma
Develop an awareness campaign around the importance of Service members’ parental bonding
Methods
Both the adult children of former POWs and adult children of a matched group of Veterans were recruited through their fathers who had participated in a related previous study.
Each participants completed a battery of self-reported questionnaires such as the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) inventory, exposure to stress questionnaire, and the life events questionnaire.
Initially a preliminary analysis of the group differences was run, then a series of analyses that looked at any associations between exposure to stress and secondary traumatization symptoms were conducted.
Participants
Participants were Israeli ex-POWs’ children (N = 98) and controls’ children (N = 90), whose fathers fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Children of POWs comprised of 48 (49%) men and 50 (51%) women, whose ages ranged from 20 to 58 years and children of a matched group of Veterans comprised of 40 (44%) men and 50 (56%) women, in an age range of 24 to 46 years.
Twenty-five children of POWs (25%) were born before the war and captivity, the rest after the war; whereas, 12 children of Veterans (13%) were born before the war, and the rest after war.
Limitations
Generalizability was limited due to the inclusion of only one set of POWs and their children.
The lack of pre-captivity assessment of children’s characteristics limits our ability to explain what was associated with their secondary traumatization symptoms.
The parental bonding measure was based upon the participant’s recollection of parental care and overprotection during his or her first 16 years of life; which for all was at least 30 years ago.
Avenues for Future Research
Engage different groups of prisoners of war to see if their experiences or levels of trauma influenced their children’s secondary traumatization symptoms or parental bonding any differently
Focus on prisoners of war spouses’ secondary traumatization symptoms and marital relationship
Conduct a longitudinal study of returned POW and bonding with their children
Focus
International Military
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Component
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The aversive impact of combat and parents’ combatinduced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on young children has been examined in a few studies. However, the long-term toll of war captivity on secondary traumatization (ST) and the parental bonding of adult children remain unknown. This study examined ST symptoms and parental bonding among adult children of former prisoners of war (ex-POWs’ children) that were compared to adult children of comparable veterans (controls’ children). Furthermore, we examined the mediating role of parental bonding and exposure to stress in the association between group and ST symptoms. Design: A correlative, cross-sectional study. Methods: Participants were Israeli ex-POWs’ children (N = 98) and controls’ children (N = 90), whose fathers fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. All participants completed a battery of self-reported questionnaires. Results: Ex-POWs’ children reported a higher number of ST symptoms and lower levels of fathers’ care, as compared to controls’ children. Importantly, exposure to stress stemming from fathers’ behaviors and fathers’ care was found to mediate the association between research group and ST. Conclusions: Forty years after the war ended, the experience of living with ex-POWs is associated with ex-POWs’ children psychological outcome.
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