Evaluating Secondary Trauma: Social Adjustment, Father-Offspring Relationships, and Religiosity of Students in Tehran

A survey measuring religiosity, father-child relationships, and social adaptation/adjustment was administered to a stratified random sample of Iran-Iraq War veteran offspring (N = 240) and Iranian civilian offspring (N = 240) in Tehran. This study sought to evaluate secondary trauma, as measured by social adjustment, in veterans' offspring and determine the degree that father-child relationship and religiosity contribute to social adjustment. The study found significant positive relationships between quality of father-offspring relationship, religiosity, and social adaptation. A hypothesis predicting lower social adaptation among veterans' offspring was not supported. The authors argue that cultural conditions in Iran reduce secondary trauma.