Psychiatric disorders and other health dimensions among Holocaust survivors 6 decades later (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2004
ObjectiveAlthough high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological morbidity have been consistently reported in Holocaust survivors (HS), reports are inconsistent about which factors are associated with psychological morbidity. In a study of the oldest HS cohort yet reported, we aim to clarify why this variability exists by examining factors associated with PTSD and psychological morbidity, including for the first time measures of personality and defense mechanisms.Although high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological morbidity have been consistently reported in Holocaust survivors (HS), reports are inconsistent about which factors are associated with psychological morbidity. In a study of the oldest HS cohort yet reported, we aim to clarify why this variability exists by examining factors associated with PTSD and psychological morbidity, including for the first time measures of personality and defense mechanisms.MethodsOne hundred HS randomly selected from a convenience sample of 309 respondents to a survey of Jewish persons aged 60 years and older living in the community in Sydney were assessed using the following instruments: demographics, severity of trauma experienced, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), PTSD diagnosis (DSM-IV), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Impact of Events Scale, Defense Style Questionnaire, modified Eysenck Personality Inventory.One hundred HS randomly selected from a convenience sample of 309 respondents to a survey of Jewish persons aged 60 years and older living in the community in Sydney were assessed using the following instruments: demographics, severity of trauma experienced, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), PTSD diagnosis (DSM-IV), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Impact of Events Scale, Defense Style Questionnaire, modified Eysenck Personality Inventory.ResultsOlder age, experience of more severe trauma, use of immature defense mechanisms and higher neuroticism were associated with significant PTSD and psychological morbidity; severity of trauma was associated with PTSD and with more severe psychological morbidity.Older age, experience of more severe trauma, use of immature defense mechanisms and higher neuroticism were associated with significant PTSD and psychological morbidity; severity of trauma was associated with PTSD and with more severe psychological morbidity.ConclusionsA profile of survivors at-risk can be identified that may have application to survivors of more recent holocausts. Late life may be a period of vulnerability in the aftermath of severe trauma. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.A profile of survivors at-risk can be identified that may have application to survivors of more recent holocausts. Late life may be a period of vulnerability in the aftermath of severe trauma. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The psychiatric after-effects of the Holocaust on the second generation
Psychological medicine, 1998
The psychiatric after-effects of the Holocaust on the second generation" Numerous studies conducted in clinical and community settings by researchers from different countries over a period of almost five decades, have conclusively shown protracted and disabling psychiatric effects among World War II Holocaust victims, formerly known as the concentration camp syndrome (e.g.
The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences
Holocaust survivors show long-lasting psychopathological wounds and scars. The experiences they endured during WWII were thought to impair their parental functioning. A trans-generational transmission of the trauma has been reported by clinicians and by researchers exploring the vulnerability of the adult offspring when facing major stressful events. However, the two previous epidemiological studies conducted so far failed to show enhanced psychopathology when the children of the Holocaust survivors were compared with suitable controls. In the Israel-component of the World Mental Health Survey offspring of Holocaust survivors were identified (N=430) and compared to offspring of Europe-born parents who did not reside in Nazi-occupied countries (N=417) on several measures of psychopathology and physical health dimensions that have a marked psychological components, and on health and mental health help-seeking practices. No statistical differences were elicited between both groups on a...
Effects of the Holocaust: Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Survivor Perspectives, The
1984
In this paper the authors review perspectives related to Holocaust victims, limitations of Holocaust studies are discussed, and suggestions for viewing the long-range post-traumatic effects of the Holocaust upon its victims from social and behavioral science perspectives are advanced. The views of survivors toward postwar adjustment, drawn from interviews with Holocaust victims, are also presented.
Journal of traumatic …, 1997
Symptom patterns were compared between Holocaust survivors in concentration camp (n = 70) and those who were in "hiding" (n = 30) during the war. The impact of age at the time of the trauma, gender, and cumulative lifetime stress, and the effect of each of these variables controlling for the others, on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were also evaluated. A significant negative relationship between age at the time of the trauma and symptoms of psychogenic amnesia, hypervigilence and emotional detachment, and a positive correlation between age and intrusive thoughts, were observed. Cumulative lifetime stress was positively associated with symptoms of avoidance. The study provides the first empirical data regarding the factors that potentially explain individual differences in PTSD symptom patterns in Holocaust survivors.
American Journal of Psychiatry, 1995
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among cumulative lifetime trauma, recent stressful events, and presence and severity of current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in Holocaust survivors and nonexposed comparison subjects. Method: Lifetime trauma, recent stressful events, and presence and severity of PTSD were assessed in Holocaust survivors (N=72) and comparison subjects (N=1 9). Results: Stirvivors with PTSD (N=40) reported significantly greater cumulative trauma and recent stress than survivors without PTSD (N=32) and comparison subjects. Severity of PTSD symptoms, cumulative trauma, and recent stress were significantly associated. Conclusions: The presence and severity of current PTSD were related to having experienced stressful events in addition to the Holocaust.
Depressive features in Holocaust survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder
1994
The present study was designed to explore several aspects of depressive phenomenology, including current symptoms, dependency (anaclitic) and self-criticism (introjective) themes, and issues of self-efficacy, in Holocaust survivors with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Depressive Subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) were administered to 23 Holocaust survivors and 18 demographically-matched controls. Holocaust survivors with PTSD scored significantly higher on the SCL-90 depression scale, and portrayed more self-criticism on the DEQ, than Holocaust survivors without PTSD and demographically-matched non-exposed subjects. The data suggest that depressive symptoms in individuals who have been severely traumatized are more severe when associated with a concurrent PTSD. Furthermore, groups suffering different types of trauma may show similarities in psychological dimensions of depression.
The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 2013
This paper examines symptoms of anxiety and depression of Holocaust survivors' (HS) offspring as a function of their parents' age, gender, and survival situation (whether the survivor parent was alone or with a relative during the war). The 180 adults (142 with two parent survivors; 38 with a single parent survivor) who participated in this study completed (a) a measure of state-trait anxiety, (b) a measure of depression symptoms, (c) a sociodemographic questionnaire was divided into three sections: information about the participant, about his mother and about his father. Participants whose mothers were aged 18 or younger during the war and survived alone report more symptoms of anxiety and depression than participants whose mothers were the same age yet survived in the company of relatives. Participants whose mothers were aged 19 or older and survived either alone or in the company of relatives, exhibited fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. The survival situation was ...