Personal trauma and world view—are extremely stressful experiences related to political attitudes, religious beliefs, and future orientation?

The study of the Hol (Holocaust) provides the opportunity to study enduring effects of stressful experiences, many years after their occurrence. Yet the effect on attitudes and beliefs has been shown relatively little research interest. The present study compared Hol. survivors and children of survivors to two control groups in regard to political attitudes, religious identity, and future orientation. Survivors and children of survivors have been found to be different from the controls; almost 5 decades after the exposure to the trauma, both survivors and their descendants support the more centrally located political parties, express greater belief in God and a greater belief in a better future (χ2=8.945, p<0.030, χ2=15.046, p<0.020, χ2=17.438, p<0.042). Possible explanations accounting for these results are discussed.