Psychosocial consequences of growing up as Austrian occupation children in post-World-War II Austria

Background: During the post-World War II occupation of Austria, approximately 20,000–30,000 ‘children born of war’ (CBOW), also called occupation children were born through intimate contacts between Austrian women and occupation soldiers. Research on other CBOW populations indicates that CBOW mostly grow up under difficult conditions, sometimes with strong long-term mental health consequences.

Objective: To examine whether comparable psychosocial consequences can be found in Austrian occupation children (AOC), a first quantitative study was carried out.

Method: Child maltreatment, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and somatization, and general life satisfaction were assessed in a sample of 98 AOC using self-report instruments. Results were compared to a sample of German occupation children (GOC; N = 146).

Results: High prevalence of above threshold full (10.2%) and partial (14.3%) PTSD, somatic (16.3%) and depressive (11.1%) symptomatology were found in AOC. They were at high risk of child maltreatment (e.g. emotional abuse: 53.6%), which was associated with current symptomatology. Notably, AOC tended to report high levels of general life satisfaction. No differences were found between GOC and AOC.

Conclusions: Findings highlight the complex and long-term effects of developmental conditions and childhood maltreatment on mental health of CBOW, even decades later. Findings of high life satisfaction provide evidence of resilience and maturation processes across the lifespan.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Austrian occupation children show a notable vulnerability to childhood maltreatment and its long-term consequences, including a high prevalence of above threshold PTSD, somatic, and depressive symptomatology.
• Findings on the psychosocial consequences of growing up as occupation children in Austria after World War II are consistent with previous studies in similar populations and can be generalized as more or less typical common experiences of children born of war.
• Despite psychological distress, occupation children showed surprising levels of life satisfaction, suggesting potential resilience.