Evil-related threats and mental health concomitants among offspring of Holocaust survivors gay men

Objectives: In view of the accumulated stress associated with the combination of intergenerational trauma and minority stress, we aimed to examine whether offspring of Holocaust survivors (OHS) reported stronger evil-related threats compared to non-OHS individuals and whether OHS gay men experienced stronger threats. We also examined whether sexual orientation moderated the hypothesized indirect effect of Holocaust background on mental health through evil-related threats. Method: Participants were 346 middle-aged and older Israeli men (mean age = 60.56, SD = 8.42, range 50–86). Among them, 173 identified as gay men, and 81 identified as OHS. Participants completed measures of evil-related threats, depression, and life satisfaction. Results: Analysis of covariance revealed that OHS men reported stronger evil-related threats compared to non-OHS men. Yet, an interaction between Holocaust background and sexual orientation indicated that OHS gay men reported stronger evil-related threats compared to non-OHS gay men, while no such difference existed among heterosexual counterparts. Conditional indirect effect analysis showed a significant indirect effect, in which Holocaust background related to higher depressive symptoms and lower life satisfaction through evil-related threats among gay men, but not among heterosexual men. Conclusion: This study sheds light on the particular experience of evil-related threats, focusing on older OHS gay men and the mental health vulnerability associated with it. In applied contexts, this might help identify a sexual minority group that is particularly sensitive to adverse mental health and offer it supporting interventions.