Late‐Life Mortality in Older Jews Exposed to the Nazi Regime

Abstract

Israeli Jews who survived exposure to the Nazi regime are not at greater risk for death than the general population of Israeli Jews in later life. It is unclear whether these individuals represent a particularly resilient group or whether the risks of psychological trauma on mortality are mitigated over time.

Functioning and Mortality of Holocaust Survivors: Physical Resilience and Psychosocial Vulnerabilities

“…Similar to previous investigations (Ayalon & Covinsky, 2007;Kahana et al, 2005;Landau & Litwin, 2000;Shmotkin et al, 2003;Stessman et al, 2008), older Holocaust survivors showed a general resilience alongside specific vulnerabilities. Thus, Holocaust survivors generally showed functioning at levels similar to comparison groups, especially on physical markers.…”

“…Furthermore, CC survivors were found to be an especially resilient group when mortality risk was examined. Similarly to previous survival analyses (e.g., Ayalon & Covinsky, 2007), the younger cohort of CC survivors in the IMAS demonstrated a similar mortality risk to all other groups. However, the older cohort of CC survivors in the CALAS showed a lower mortality risk compared to exposed survivors and postwar immigrants.…”

“…Indeed, previous survival analyses that did not find such an exceptional resilience among CC survivors (Ayalon & Covinsky, 2007;Stessman et al, 2008) examined mainly sexagenarian and septuagenarian survivors. However, CC survivors in the CALAS were mostly octogenarian and nonagenarian.…”

“…Yet, other studies have found that in contrast to the high psychosocial distress reported by survivors at midlife (for a review, see Shmotkin, 2003), old survivors frequently presented high levels of physical rigor (Kahana, Harel, & Kahana, 2005;Landau & Litwin, 2000;Shmotkin, Blumstein, & Modan, 2003). The durability of older survivors is also reflected in studies of mortality, where Holocaust survivors in late life showed similar mortality risks to their older counterparts in several studies (Ayalon & Covinsky, 2007;Collins, Burazeri, Gofin, & Kark, 2004;Stessman et al, 2008). Moreover, in the few longitudinal studies in the field, most Holocaust survivors did not demonstrate marked psychological deterioration as they grew older (Yehuda et al, 2006), nor did they show an accelerated physical deterioration over the years relative to comparison groups (Stessman et al, 2008).…”

Can the past keep life pleasant even for old-old trauma survivors?

“…Most pertinent to the queries raised above is the study of Holocaust survivors, since it concerns survivors of massive trauma, a large part of whom are presently moving from old to old-old age. Holocaust survivors living in the community demonstrate a general resilience, but also specific vulnerabilities (Ayalon & Covinsky, 2007;Kahana, Harel, & Kahana, 2005;Shemesh, Levav, Radomislensky, & Brodsky, in press;Shmotkin, Blumstein, & Modan, 2003;Stessman et al, 2008). This balance of resilience and vulnerability is reflected in, as well as derived from, positive and negative features in the survivors' life narratives (Cohen & Shmotkin, 2007;Shmotkin & Shrira, in press).…”