Life in a continuous traumatic situation: perspective of the older population

Abstract

The literature is divided with regard to how older persons cope with traumatic situations of war and terror, and few studies have focused on continuous exposure to traumatic situations. To fill the gap in existing knowledge, the present study examined how older people cope with a continuous security threat which includes periods of intensive attacks. Three focus groups were conducted among older residents of rural localities situated near the Israeli border with Gaza. Content analysis of transcripts from the group sessions revealed four main aspects that concern the older participants when they cope with situations of war: (a) moral issues; (b) emotional issues; (c) intergenerational issues; and (d) resilience and future challenge. The analysis revealed that the older participants’ coping patterns derive from a combination of their stage of life, the changing lifestyle in their communal rural localities, and the ways that the older residents and younger residents of the communities cope with exposure to a continuous security threat. The theoretical framework for discussion of the findings is based on social theories of trauma and resilience. In addition, recommendations are provided for interventions at the individual and community levels.

Exacerbated inequalities: A scoping review of the experiences of older persons during conflict situations

“…Many older persons lack family support or become separated from their relatives and friends, 24,25,30,32,34–36,45,55,64 sometimes without the means to contact those who have moved away 64 . Family connectedness fosters security, maintains normalcy and builds resilience during crises, 49 such that the loss of family support networks contributes to social isolation 25,32,35,48 and can have deleterious effects upon the mental health of older persons 25–28,30,34,36,46,48,49,52,53,67 …”

“…Overarching theme: Conflict situations exacerbate existing inequalities experienced by older persons All included documents contributed to an overarching theme that conflict situations exacerbate existing inequalities related to older persons. These include health and mental health issues [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] and associated physical and cognitive limitations, ageism, 22,[30][31][32][33] ableism, financial exclusion (e.g., lack of pension benefits), 24,32,34,35 and social isolation. 25,30,36 Inequalities are most pronounced for older persons living with the intersectional identity of older age, non-Caucasian, female gender, disabled, living in rural and remote communities.…”

“…64 Family connectedness fosters security, maintains normalcy and builds resilience during crises, 49 such that the loss of family support networks contributes to social isolation 25,32,35,48 and can have deleterious effects upon the mental health of older persons. [25][26][27][28]30,34,36,46,48,49,52,53,67 Our evidence suggests that, when the support needs of older persons are met during conflict situations, this is typically facilitated by humanitarian aid organizations. These groups may provide clothing, food, money, assistive devices (e.g., glasses), mattresses, blankets and hygiene kits, and prayer mats, 34,44 and/or medical treatment, medications, mental health counseling and physiotherapy services.…”

Cumulative trauma: The intersection between continuous security threats and the COVID-19 pandemic among Israeli older adults.

“…This finding is surprising in light of previous insights that life on the Israel/Gaza border should be seen as life in the shadow of a continuous threat with long-term consequences (Nuttman-Shwartz, 2023), a situation which has a greater likelihood of being experienced as more severe than being exposed to one traumatic event (e.g., Kira et al, 2023). This difference in findings may derive from the fact that the pandemic was perceived as an unknown and unfamiliar phenomenon in contrast to the security threat, which older adults living in this area viewed as a familiar stressor (Nuttman-Shwartz & Regev, 2018). The results of a Stein et al (2018) study indicated that residents living on the Israel/Gaza border had become habituated to the continuous security threats and to cumulative trauma—that is, prior greater exposure has been associated with more resilience during high-intensity attacks.…”