Objectives: To assess the frequency of fibromyalgia among a population of Holocaust survivors in Israel as well as the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and concurrent psychiatric symptoms, including depression and anxiety among survivors.
Methods: Eighty-three survivors of the Nazi Holocaust and 65 age-matched individuals not exposed to Nazi occupation were recruited. Physical examination and manual tender point assessment was performed for the establishment of the diagnosis of fibromyalgia and information was collected regarding quality of life (SF-36), physical function and health (FIQ), psychiatric symptoms (SCL-90) and PTSD symptoms (CAPS).
Results: Significantly increased rates of fibromyalgia were identified among Holocaust survivors compared with controls (23.81% vs. 10.94, p<0.05). Significantly increased rates of posttraumatic symptoms and measures of mental distress were also identified among survivors.
Conclusions: The results indicate a significantly increased prevalence of fibromyalgia among Holocaust survivors six decades after the end of the Second World War. This finding furthers our knowledge regarding the long-term effect of stress on the development of fibromyalgia.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|
Psychiatry Res
January 2025
Department of Social and Health Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. Electronic address:
Holocaust survivors may be sensitive to additional traumatic events that can awaken memories of their past. The study examined Holocaust survivors' reactions to the October 7 terrorist attack. Data were collected from 118 Israeli Jewish older adults, who were divided into three groups: Survivors with high (n = 17), and with low PTSD symptom levels (n = 69) and a comparison group (n = 32), matched for background variables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Psychiatr Res
January 2025
Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Descendants of traumatized individuals may exhibit latent vulnerability, meaning they are typically well-functioning yet more vulnerable to stressful and traumatic events. Nevertheless, such vulnerability is not omnipresent, and some descendants are more prone than others to develop posttraumatic disorder (PTSD) and other psychopathologies. Ancestral PTSD was suggested as an aggravating factor for intergenerational effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAttach Hum Dev
November 2024
Center for the Study of Child Development and School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
This article examines Mary Main's impact on attachment research in Israel and , focusing on her contributions: the disorganized attachment classification (D) and the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Israeli research spans Jewish and Arab populations, individuals with special needs, and trauma-affected groups, testing the Normativity, Sensitivity, and Competence hypotheses. While confirming traditional findings, some studies revealed deviations, possibly influenced by Israel's unique sociocultural/historical context.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychiatr Prax
October 2024
Institute for History and Ethics of Medicine, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
Objective: After WW II, Holocaust survivors often faced negative assessments by German psychiatrists when claiming compensation for psychological damage, a fact that was met with criticism. This study examines how as a result the prevailing doctrine on trauma sequelae underwent a transformation.
Methods: Academic contributions in German language from 1946 to 1969 are analyzed for their para-digmatic views on the etiology of mental disorders after war and Nazi persecution.
Camb Q Healthc Ethics
October 2024
Department of Foundational Medical Studies, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI, USA.
There are increasing calls for coverage of medicine during the Holocaust in medical school curricula. This article describes outcomes from a Holocaust and medicine educational program featuring a study trip to Poland, which focused on physician complicity during the Holocaust, as well as moral courage in health professionals who demonstrated various forms of resistance in the ghettos and concentration camps. The trip included tours of key sites in Krakow, Oswiecim, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, as well as meeting with survivors, lectures, reflective writings, and discussions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!