Jewish children hidden in France between 1940 and 1944: an analysis of their narratives today.

The psychology literature concerning Jewish children hidden during World War II appeared in 1991 and was predominantly American and Israeli. Nevertheless, few studies consider the specific and complex situation of the "hidden children." The present study broaches this theme. The aim of this research is to show the consequences of the cumulate trauma in adults whose trauma occurred when they were children; it also aims to show how the subjects cope with the trauma. This research used a qualitative methodology. A series of semistructured interviews on personal and psychological history was conducted with 35 Jewish people (21 women, 14 men; mean age = 74.9 years; range = 65-82 years) living in France and who had been hidden between 1940 and 1944 during the Occupation in France (except for 2 hidden in Belgium and the Netherlands). The current research identified specific traumas, intra- and intergenerational family disorders, and affiliation disturbances, as well as protective factors and ways of coping with the trauma. This research shows the impact of collective history on individual history, the experience of Jewish children who were hidden in France and who stayed in France following the Liberation presents specific features.