Parental communication of holocaust experiences and personality characteristics among second-generation survivors

Examined communication concerning wartime experiences that went on in survivor families. Sixty-four Jewish children of survivors filled out questionnaires on parental communication, as well as the MMPI, Mosher's Forced Choice Scale of Guilt, and Hogan's Scale of Empathy. Findings indicate that mother's willingness to talk about her experiences and the frequency of her communication were related significantly to the presence of negative personality traits in the second generation. Guilt-inducing communication (by both parents), early experiential awareness of the Holocaust, and indirect communication about the Holocaust also were related significantly to negative characteristics. Father's willingness to talk about his experiences and the frequency of his communication, however, were related to positive factors among his offspring. When separated along gender lines, most forms of communication were related to negative personality factors for female, but not male, children of survivors.