Regular Research ArticlesPosttraumatic Growth, Social Acknowledgment as Survivors, and Sense of Coherence in Former German Child Soldiers of World War II
Section snippets
Sample
The study design and sample characteristics are described elsewhere.5 In brief, former child soldiers of WWII were recruited by articles in regional German newspapers and in journals catering for those expelled from Germany's former eastern territories after the war. Inclusion criteria were deployment as a soldier in WWII and age not exceeding 18 years at onset of deployment. Traumatization and current PTSD symptoms were not necessary criteria for inclusion.
A total of 102 male and one female
Bivariate Associations Between Variables
Table 1 presents Pearson correlations between all variables and PTG. The following variables exhibited significant correlations with the PTGI total score: number of traumatic experiences (r[101] = 0.29, p <0.01), SAQ Recognition by significant others (r[101] = 0.47, p <0.01), General disapproval (r[101] = 0.32, p <0.01), and SOC Meaningfulness (r[101] = 0.23, p <0.05). In addition, duration of deployment and captivity (r[101] = 0.25, p <0.01) and SAQ total score (r[101]= 0.36, p <0.01)
DISCUSSION
This was the first study to investigate predictors of PTG in former child soldiers of WWII. The number of traumas, two facets of social acknowledgment as a survivor (i.e., recognition by significant others and general disapproval), and one facet of SOC (i.e., meaningfulness) correlated significantly with PTG. In a multiple hierarchical regression analysis, recognition as a survivor by significant others and meaningfulness remained the only significant predictors of PTG.
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