Trauma and Current Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Elderly German Women Who Experienced Wartime Rapes in 1945

Kuwert, Philipp; Klauer, Thomas; Eichhorn, Siegfried; Grundke, Elena; Dudeck, Manuela; Schomerus, Georg; Freyberger, Harald J.

doi:10.1097/nmd.0b013e3181e08685

Cited by 29 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Sexual violence was experienced or witnessed by almost 13%, with a higher prevalence in the Soviet zone. This important topic (Kuwert & Freyberger, 2007; Kuwert et al, 2010) will be addressed elsewhere (Lueger-Schuster, Glück, Tran, & Zeilinger, 2012). In total, persons in our study reported less direct involvement in actions of war or experiences in combat zones (apart from bombing) than in other studies (Kuwert et al, 2007b; Maercker et al, 2008; Spitzer et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PTSD and trauma in Austria's elderly: influence of wartime experiences, postwar zone of occupation, and life time traumatization on today's mental health status—an interdisciplinary approach

Glück

Tran

Lueger‐Schuster

2012

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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BackgroundWhile in recent years epidemiological studies on World War (WW) II-related traumatization and prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in elderly persons have been conducted for various European countries, for Austria, these numbers are unknown.ObjectiveThe focus of this epidemiologic study was to picture the current mental health status and prevalence of PTSD and lifetime traumatic events in Austria's elderly with respect to WWII and subsequent occupation.MethodIn an interdisciplinary approach of psychologists and historians, 316 elderly Austrians (born before 1946) were interviewed for symptoms of PTSD and lifetime traumatization (Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version), current mental health (Brief Symptom Inventory), wartime-related trauma, and traumatic experiences with occupational forces. These factors were also compared regarding the zone of occupation (Allied vs. Soviet). Data were collected between March and September 2010.Results97.5% of the sample reported at least one lifetime trauma. War-related traumata were reported by 92.7% and non-war-related traumata by 82.3%; 40.2% experienced traumatic events with occupational forces. PTSD was present in 1.9% of the sample and up to 13.9% taking subthreshold PTSD into account. Both, the presence of symptoms indicative of PTSD and subthreshold PTSD implied weaker current mental health (regarding General Distress: odds ratios up to 25.51; 95% CI = 9.82 to 66.27). Independent of PTSD diagnosis persons from the Soviet occupied zone showed higher levels of Interpersonal Sensitivity, Global Distress, and Phobic Anxiety. Prevalence of PTSD was independent of gender.ConclusionsOur results corroborate findings from other European countries that PTSD is a common disorder in the elderly due to WWII experience and that PTSD and trauma affect mental health even across long periods of time. Postwar distressing conditions also pose a further risk factor for symptomatology and distress in later years.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PTSD and trauma in Austria's elderly: influence of wartime experiences, postwar zone of occupation, and life time traumatization on today's mental health status—an interdisciplinary approach

Glück

Tran

Lueger‐Schuster

2012

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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“…The displacement took place roughly between 1944 and 1947, and the refugees went mainly to the western parts of Germany. The displacement process was accompanied by an enormous amount of traumatic events, such as air raids, combat contact, wartime rapes, and others (Benz, 1985;Kuwert et al, 2010). A population-based survey of the German elderly general population (not differentiating between displaced and nondisplaced individuals) showed elevated levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with WW II trauma (Hauffa et al, 2011).…”

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confidence: 99%

More Than 60 Years Later

Kuwert¹,

Bräehler²,

Freyberger³

et al. 2012

Journal of Nervous &Amp; Mental Disease

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Up to now, it has remained unclear whether displacement itself is the pathogenetic factor for the impairment of mental health in uprooted individuals or whether the effect is mediated by the amount of traumatic events experienced during forced displacement and/or by the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A total of 1657 participants were included in this population-based study, who were then administered with the Patient Health Questionnaire, a modified trauma list of the PTSD module of the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview, and the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale. Displacement was associated with increased rates of traumatic events. The displaced participants were significantly more affected by somatoform symptoms and PTSD than the nondisplaced population. It was not displacement itself but the amount of trauma experienced during displacement that predicts current somatization in the population-based sample. The results highlight the necessity for prevention and treatment of posttraumatic conditions in displaced individuals and underpin the importance to understand somatization as one condition of the posttraumatic symptoms spectrum in the elderly.

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“…Adapted from [48] matized patients [43]. From a lifespan perspective, sexual or physical abuse in early life is associated with psychopathology in later adulthood [29], especially the severity of somatization [41] and chronic pain [18]. Against the background of World War II, the extent and long-term effects of war-related traumatic experiences (e.g., experiences during military war service, bombing, or wartime rape) in the elderly generation are of special interest [36].…”

Section: Burden Of Traumatization Of Early War Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The grapes of war

et al. 2012

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Persistent pain is not a normal part of aging. Nevertheless, many older patients have long-lasting, more or less medically unexplained pain symptoms and, consequently, are often severely disabled, incur high health care costs, and have high comorbidity rates. Moreover, the effects of early traumatization, especially due to wars, and even below the level of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are apparent. However, the developmental and neurobiological underpinnings of somatoform pain disorder, especially in pain-prone elderly patients, and its correlations with a history of war traumatization even decades after the incident remain unclear. Furthermore, a management strategy for this disorder tailored to older people and their special needs is lacking. Adequate therapeutic regimens such as adjusted psychotherapeutic procedures for elderly patients can only be promoted through a better understanding of the neurobiological and biographical underpinnings of this still controversial disorder.

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Trauma and Current Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Elderly German Women Who Experienced Wartime Rapes in 1945

Cited by 29 publications

References 9 publications

PTSD and trauma in Austria's elderly: influence of wartime experiences, postwar zone of occupation, and life time traumatization on today's mental health status—an interdisciplinary approach

PTSD and trauma in Austria's elderly: influence of wartime experiences, postwar zone of occupation, and life time traumatization on today's mental health status—an interdisciplinary approach

More Than 60 Years Later

The grapes of war

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