Abstract

Little is known of the lived experience of civilians who were Prisoners of War as children. This manuscript describes a review of relevant literature and the hermeneutic phenomenology methods used in a study of World War II Prisoner of War survivors from a civilian prison camp in Manila Philippines. Because of the food, safety and other environmental concerns associated with this group, Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is reviewed to provide a relevant theoretical perspective. Existing research pertaining to resilience, PTSD, and Prisoners of War are discussed. Study methods along with their theoretical underpinnings are described and information is presented as to how the research team sought to avoid bias when conducting the study.