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Posttraumatic Growth, Social Acknowledgment as Survivors, and Sense of Coherence in Former German Child Soldiers of World War II

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Objectives

To examine posttraumatic growth (PTG) and its predictors social acknowledgment as survivors, sense of coherence (SOC), trauma severity, and further factors in former child soldiers more than 60 years after deployment.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

University-based geropsychiatric center in Germany.

Participants

One hundred three former German child soldiers of World War II, mean age 78 years in which 96% experienced at least one war trauma.

Measurement

Subjects completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Social Acknowledgment Questionnaire (SAQ), and SOC Scale. Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were assessed by the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale. Depression, anxiety, and somatization were assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory.

Results

Number of traumas, recognition by significant others, and general disapproval as facets of social acknowledgment as a survivor, and meaningfulness as a dimension of SOC correlated significantly with PTG. In a multiple hierarchical regression analysis, recognition as a survivor by significant others (SAQ) and meaningfulness (SOC) remained the only significant predictors of PTG.

Conclusion

Social acknowledgment as a survivor by significant others and the belief that the world is meaningful are among the most important factors contributing to PTG. Further research should investigate whether treatments of PTSD in people who experienced war traumas recently or many years ago might benefit from a focus on the belief system and the role of family and social support.

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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