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Readiness to reconcile and post-traumatic distress in German survivors of wartime rapes in 1945

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2015

S. Eichhorn ,
N. Stammel ,
H. Glaesmer ,
T. Klauer ,
H. J. Freyberger ,
C. Knaevelsrud  and
P. Kuwert
S. Eichhorn*
Affiliation:
University of Leipzig, Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
N. Stammel
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Center for Torture Victims, Berlin, Germany
H. Glaesmer
Affiliation:
University of Leipzig, Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
T. Klauer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, HELIOS Hansehospital Stralsund, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
H. J. Freyberger
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, HELIOS Hansehospital Stralsund, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
C. Knaevelsrud
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Center for Torture Victims, Berlin, Germany
P. Kuwert
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, HELIOS Hansehospital Stralsund, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Svenja Eichhorn, University of Leipzig, Department of Medical Psychology, and Medical Sociology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany. Phone: +49-(0)341-97-15426. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

Background:

Sexual violence and wartime rapes are prevalent crimes in violent conflicts all over the world. Processes of reconciliation are growing challenges in post-conflict settings. Despite this, so far few studies have examined the psychological consequences and their mediating factors. Our study aimed at investigating the degree of longtime readiness to reconcile and its associations with post-traumatic distress within a sample of German women who experienced wartime rapes in 1945.

Methods:

A total of 23 wartime rape survivors were compared to age- and gender-matched controls with WWII-related non-sexual traumatic experiences. Readiness to reconcile was assessed with the Readiness to Reconcile Inventory (RRI-13). The German version of the Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) was used to assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology.

Results:

Readiness to reconcile in wartime rape survivors was higher in those women who reported less post-traumatic distress, whereas the subscale “openness to interaction” showed the strongest association with post-traumatic symptomatology. Moreover, wartime rape survivors reported fewer feelings of revenge than women who experienced other traumatization in WWII.

Conclusions:

Our results are in line with previous research, indicating that readiness to reconcile impacts healing processes in the context of conflict-related traumatic experiences. Based on the long-lasting post-traumatic symptomatology we observed that our findings highlight the need for psychological treatment of wartime rape survivors worldwide, whereas future research should continue focusing on reconciliation within the therapeutic process.

Keywords

reconciliationforgivenessSecond World Warsexual violencepost-traumatic symptomatology
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 27 , Issue 5 , May 2015 , pp. 857 - 864
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2015 

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