Resilience to Trauma by Holocaust Survivors: Factors in Surviving, Coping and Thriving
Resilience to Trauma by Holocaust Survivors: Factors in Surviving, Coping and Thriving

Summary/Abstract: The current study analyzes how Holocaust survivors coped with different painful situations in their lives during the Holocaust through identification of factors of resilience to the trauma they experienced. Four female and six male survivors were included in the survey. Each informant experienced life in a ghetto or concentration camp at age eight or above. A semi‑structured interview was used to gather data. Thematic analysis was used to achieve the goal. Themes were formulated to describe protective factors which Holocaust survivors said enabled them to survive the war. Among the major resilience factors identified were social support (help received from close relatives, help received from other people); changes in values (changes of attitude towards people, life and God); circumstance (“miracles”, coincidence); integration of experience (acceptance of fate, sharing experiences with others) and self‑reliance (self‑efficacy). Our research suggests both external (social support and circumstances) and internal factors (changes in values, integration of traumatic experience and self‑reliance) determine resilience to trauma by Holocaust survivors.

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