IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v134y2015icp87-94.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Living in “survival mode:” Intergenerational transmission of trauma from the Holodomor genocide of 1932–1933 in Ukraine

Author

Listed:
  • Bezo, Brent
  • Maggi, Stefania

Abstract

Qualitative methodology was used to investigate the intergenerational impact of the 1932–1933 Holodomor genocide on three generations in 15 Ukrainian families. Each family, residing in Ukraine, consisted of a first generation survivor, a second generation adult child and a third generation adult grandchild of the same line. The findings show that the Holodomor, a genocide that claimed millions of lives by forced starvation, still exerts substantial effects on generations born decades later. Specifically, thematic analysis of the 45 semi-structured, in-depth interviews, done between July and November 2010, revealed that a constellation of emotions, inner states and trauma-based coping strategies emerged in the survivors during the genocide period and were subsequently transmitted into the second and third generations. This constellation, summarized by participants as living in “survival mode,” included horror, fear, mistrust, sadness, shame, anger, stress and anxiety, decreased self-worth, stockpiling of food, reverence for food, overemphasis on food and overeating, inability to discard unneeded items, an indifference toward others, social hostility and risky health behaviours. Since both the family and community-society were found to be involved in trauma transmission, the findings highlight the importance of multi-framework approaches for studying and healing collective trauma.

Suggested Citation

  • Bezo, Brent & Maggi, Stefania, 2015. "Living in “survival mode:” Intergenerational transmission of trauma from the Holodomor genocide of 1932–1933 in Ukraine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 87-94.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:134:y:2015:i:c:p:87-94
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.04.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953615002294
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.04.009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sophie Kav-Venaki & Arie Nadler & Hadas Gershoni, 1983. "Sharing Past Traumas: a Comparison of Communication Behaviours in Two Groups of Holocaust Survivors," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 29(1), pages 49-59, April.
    2. Elias, Brenda & Mignone, Javier & Hall, Madelyn & Hong, Say P. & Hart, Lyna & Sareen, Jitender, 2012. "Trauma and suicide behaviour histories among a Canadian indigenous population: An empirical exploration of the potential role of Canada's residential school system," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(10), pages 1560-1569.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ray, Lana & Wylie, Lloy & Corrado, Ann Marie, 2022. "Shapeshifters, systems thinking and settler colonial logic: Expanding the framework of analysis of Indigenous health equity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 300(C).
    2. Kim Samuel & Sabina Alkire & Diego Zavaleta & China Mills & John Hammock, 2018. "Social isolation and its relationship to multidimensional poverty," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(1), pages 83-97, January.
    3. Waddell, C.M. & de Jager, M.D. & Gobeil, J. & Tacan, F. & Herron, R.V. & Allan, J.A. & Roger, K., 2021. "Healing journeys: Indigenous Men's reflections on resources and barriers to mental wellness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    4. Auger, Monique & Crooks, Claire V. & Lapp, Andrea & Tsuruda, Samantha & Caron, Cassidy & Rogers, Billie Joe & van der Woerd, Kim, 2019. "The essential role of cultural safety in developing culturally-relevant prevention programming in First Nations communities: Lessons learned from a national evaluation of Mental Health First Aid First," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 188-196.
    5. Mohatt, Nathaniel Vincent & Thompson, Azure B. & Thai, Nghi D. & Tebes, Jacob Kraemer, 2014. "Historical trauma as public narrative: A conceptual review of how history impacts present-day health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 128-136.
    6. Gregg, Matthew T., 2018. "The long-term effects of American Indian boarding schools," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 17-32.
    7. Keith M Harris & Silvana Bettiol, 2017. "Exposure to suicidal behaviors: A common suicide risk factor or a personal negative life event?," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 63(1), pages 70-77, February.
    8. Bennett, Mia M., 2018. "From state-initiated to Indigenous-driven infrastructure: The Inuvialuit and Canada’s first highway to the Arctic Ocean," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 134-148.
    9. Nelson, Sarah E. & Wilson, Kathi, 2017. "The mental health of Indigenous peoples in Canada: A critical review of research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 93-112.
    10. Per Axelsson & Tahu Kukutai & Rebecca Kippen, 2016. "The field of Indigenous health and the role of colonisation and history," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 1-7, March.
    11. Makenzie MacKay & Brenda Parlee & Carrie Karsgaard, 2020. "Youth Engagement in Climate Change Action: Case Study on Indigenous Youth at COP24," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-17, August.
    12. Debra F. Okner & Joseph Flaherty, 1989. "Parental Communication and Psychological Distress in Children of Holocaust Survivors: a Comparison Between the U.S. and Israel," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 35(3), pages 265-273, September.
    13. Tutty, Leslie M. & Nixon, Kendra, 2020. "Mothers abused by intimate partners: Comparisons of those with children placed by child protective services and those without," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:134:y:2015:i:c:p:87-94. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.