The Relationship Between Female Holocaust Child Survivors' Unresolved Losses and Their Offspring's Emotional Well-Being

The relationship between Holocaust child survivors' (n = 178) intrusive memories and their eldest offspring's (n = 178) well-being was examined. Results showed that survivors' intrusive memories were related to the loss of parents in the Holocaust and their symptoms of distress. The latter was related to offspring's perceived transmission of trauma of the mothers, which was associated with more symptoms of distress among offspring. These findings suggest that due to female survivors' uncompleted mourning processes and their subsequent suffering of intrusive memories, the emotional burden of the Holocaust was transmitted to the eldest offspring and caused them more symptoms of distress.