Exposure to the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda and Survivor Attitudes Toward Genocidaires: A 20-Year Postscript

This cross-sectional study examined predictors of attitudes and relatedness toward genocidaires among survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. A survey of 448 eligible adults in selected households from 5 districts in Rwanda was conducted in 2013-2014. Structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques were used to test the theorized relationships among age, gender, exposure to genocide events, stressors attributed to the genocide, traumatic stress, and a hypothesized latent factor of attitudes toward genocidaires (positive outgroup stereotypes, beliefs/perceived social norms, revenge toward genocidaires, and social distance). On the basis of a final sample of 304 respondents, more exposure to genocide events was directly associated with increased traumatic stress symptoms, higher attribution of societal stressors to the genocide, and lower positive attitudes toward genocidaires. Attribution of societal stressors to the genocide mediated the relationship between exposure to genocide events and positive attitudes toward gnocidaires, accounting for 34% of the total effect. Traumatic stress was also negatively correlated with positive attitudes toward gnocidaires. Regardless of the level of exposure to genocide events, a survivor will likely attribute current stressors to the genocide to the extent that they are experiencing traumatic stress symptoms. The complete SEM model fit extremely well. Attributions of social stressors to the genocide and negative attitudes toward gnocidaires are embedded within a cultural context of "chosen amnesia" about the genocide events (Buckley-Zistel, 2006), which necessitate remembrance of progress and honest acknowledgment of the complex task of reconciliation among Rwandans in a postconflict society.