The Cambodian genocide: Intergenerational transmission of trauma sequelae: Guilt attitudes and beliefs of the second generation Cambodians

This study examines guilt and assignment of blame among second generation children whose parents were either former Khmer Rouge regime members (KR) or non-Khmer Rouge regime members (NKR). A group of fifty-one NKR participants and a group of fifty-four KR participants were recruited from a high school in Phnom Vor located in Kampot province, Cambodia. It was predicted that the KR group would experience greater personal guilt than the NKR group and that the NKR group would attribute greater blame toward the offspring of former Khmer Rouge regime members relative to the KR group for the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge during the Khmer Rouge regime. Additionally, this study examined potential group differences concerning perceived responsibilities about the Khmer Rouge, beliefs held toward the Khmer Rouge, feelings of compensatory behavior, forgiveness, and situational attribution about the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge regime. It was predicted that the NKR group would hold less positive beliefs toward the Khmer Rouge regime than the KR group, the NKR group would show greater agreement with the idea that the former Khmer Rouge regime members should offer compensation for their actions committed during the Khmer Rouge regime relative to the KR group, the KR group would have more forgiveness feelings toward the former Khmer Rouge regime members than the NKR group, and the KR group would be more likely to make situational attributions for the actions committed by the former Khmer Rouge regime members than the NKR group. There were two additional research questions that this study attempted to answer. First, were there any differences between the NKR group and KR group in the extent to which they blame different groups of individuals and governments for what occurred during the Khmer Rouge regime? Second, would parental identification or parents' trauma exposure moderate the relationship between group affiliation and the dependent variables mentioned in the above predictions? Although group differences were found in regard to compensatory behavior, the results overall failed to provide support for group differences. Additionally, parental identification and trauma exposure did not account for any moderating effects. Overall, the sample as a whole indicated generally negative attitudes toward the Khmer Rouge regime. The implications of the findings are discussed.