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Despite today's extensive research on the psychosocial consequences of World War II, the group of wives and children whose husbands or fathers went "missing in action" during the Second World War, has yet to be studied systematically in Germany. The present review article shows the special role the wives, and in particular the children, of missing German soldiers played in society and discusses the impact of their loved ones being unaccounted has had on the mental health of this group.An overview of current research on the psychosocial status of the war generation is given following a short historical introduction to the theme. Subsequently, we discuss the legal and social situation of the families of missing German soldiers during the postwar decades. Finally, two psychological concepts drawn from the US research show that specific disorders, such as complicated grief or "boundary ambiguity," can occur in the relatives of missing persons and blur the line between hope and grief occurring as a result of ambiguous loss.The psychosocial impact of having a relative go missing has hardly been noticed in the German research tradition after World War II. Particularly in light of the age structure of those directly affected and the experiences of transgenerational transmission this neglected psychosocial research subject urgently needs further scientific investigation, inasmuch as the age of the family members still allows it.

The family is an important resource in elderly care. It is of great interest if persons who might be in need of care in the future would use this resource. Our study assessed wishes and expectations regarding family care in a representative sample of the general population (≥ 45 years, N = 1,445) using questionnaires. Logistic regressions were performed to analyze the potential impact on the willingness to use or provide family care. One quarter of the participants reported experience in family care. In case of own need 62.9% of participants would prefer care provided by relatives and 56.7% would prefer professional care. Participants are more likely to use family care if they report having relatives, are experienced in care of relatives or do not associate old age with being a burden, e.g. report low values in the image of age "being a burden/demanding". Perceived willingness of the relatives to provide care is more likely if there is little regional distance to the relatives, in male participants and if participants talked about future care with their relatives. Besides structural factors, negative images of old age might have a negative influence on the willingness to use family care. Talking about care in old age seems to have a positive impact.

The importance of attachment-related self evaluation (German version of the Adult Attachment Scale, AAS) for psychic and physical well-being in elderly aged 60 years or older (N=555; 53% female) was examined. Widowed elderly described themselves as being less able to rely on others, and their need for feeling close to other people was lower than in married elderly. The trust in others and the extent of being afraid of losing an intimate partner predicted age related lower well being. Depressive symptoms in widowed elderly were partly explained by low trust in others. Self-evaluation of attachment reflects psychic resources for well-being in the elderly.

A 78-year old-widow lives squalidly in her own apartment. The examination of her cognitive functions reveals a moderate dementia. The needed home care service can not be financed by her small income. By increase of her mortgage a life annuity can be acquired to guaranty regular payment of her interests. This decreases her revenue below the threshold for federal additions to social security rent. This enables to improve the financial health of the demented person and makes regular home care services possible.

Late-onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients with traumatic experiences from World War II often present psychotic features.Twelve psychotic elderly PTSD patients were compared with 22 nonpsychotic elderly PTSD patients for age, marital status, age of traumatization, age of onset of psychiatric symptoms, and psychiatric comorbidities. The contents of delusions and hallucinations were registered as well as trauma details.The psychotic PTSD patients were significantly older (80 years vs 74), later traumatized (20 years vs 14), more frequently demented (75% vs 27%), and more frequently widowed (83% vs 50%). The contents of their psychotic features often were related to traumatic experiences in early life.Psychoses of traumatized elderly patients should be registered regarding psychotic content to discover a possible relation between traumatic experiences and psychosis. The International Classification of Diseases 11th Edition should include the subtype "PTSD with simultaneous psychotic features."

Based on the Active Ageing Programme of the World Health Organization (WHO), a demonstration project was conducted in a city in North-Rhine Westphalia between October 2002 and December 2004. The aim of the study was to promote an active ageing process, to maintain autonomy and independence among older people, and thereby to promote health and quality of life. The target group included people aged 55 to 80 years. The aim was to include older persons in a critical period of life due to loss of partner within the last five years and people undergoing a status change due to retirement within the last two years. 344 participants were visited at home to assess their health and psychosocial situation and to identify opportunities for activities. Participants were supported in their efforts to realise the agreed-upon activities. In this article results of the external evaluation are presented. It is analysed whether quality of life according to the WHOQOL Bref improves among participants in the course of the project. Results of non-parametric tests show small differences in quality of life between the three waves of interviews (at the beginning of the project, after one year, at the end of the project). This holds true when only those participants are analysed who retired within the last two years. However, quality of life significantly improves among older persons who lost their partner within the last five years. In terms of implementation of the WHO Active Ageing Programme results suggest application of a risk group strategy.

We wanted to compare geriatric psychiatric patients and their management in an integrated (with other adult age groups) care in the Psychiatric University Hospital of Göttingen (IGV) compared to those in a separated (according to age) care in the Psychiatric University Hospital of Magdeburg (SGV). The latter provides care for a certain area, while the former is not obliged to.We performed standardized chart reviews of randomly selected groups of patients, who had been treated in the IGV (n = 104) and the SGV (n = 144) in the years 1998 and 1999.The SGV patients were significantly older (71.8 +/- 8.9 years versus 67.2 +/- 7.4 years), more often bereaved and/or living alone. The SGV patients' treatment was initiated by law in 23.2 % (IGV 3 %) of the cases. Inpatient pretreatment of psychic disorders was reported in 40 % of the SGV patients and in only 3.9 % of IGV patients, respectively. In addition, the SGV patients had significantly more complicating diseases, like cerebro- and cardiovascular or neurological diseases.Older, more severely psychic and somatic ill patients were treated in the SGV. In general for about half of the cases, the hospital treatment had been the first psychiatric treatment at all. Since both are university departments differences in patient profile seem to be influenced by care system (integrated versus separated and obligatory).

Since more than 200 years, it has been well known that a marriage prolongs one's life. Current research distinguishes between protective and selective processes. However, it has been missed that today's marital biographies are not characterized by one marital status but through a sequence of different events and transitions. It is the aim of the present study to try to determine the effect of marital biographies and mortality. An East-West German comparison tests, if and how historical events influence this connection. The analysis is based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel. It can be shown that the protective effect of being married cumulates over years. Furthermore, each change in marital status increases the risk of mortality. However, persons recover from negative events (divorce, widowhood) over time. In East Germany, despite of historical change in 1989/90, the impact of the marital biography is at least as significant as in West Germany.

An ecological theory of remembering is formulated which is based on the patterns of meaningfulness in the social and spatial environment. The specific ecological relationship to the environment is affinitive, and also opens access to the resources of the past. In the present study, conditions for this access (in particular with older people) were investigated. It is assumed that older people, especially, when they lose someone with whom they had a fixed relationship seek counselling and that abrupt changes in the spatial environment, such as moving to a home, are rejected by older people. These hypotheses were checked on the basis of material (N = 120) gathered in a counselling service for the aged and they were essentially confirmed. To make matters clear, "typical" and thus every-day experiences of maintenance and loss of competence are cited from the material. Finally, practical conclusions are drawn with regard to work with the aged.

This study examined gender differences in the social networks of 60 healthy women and men aged 65 to 89 years. Semi-structured interviews and a modification of the social convoy method (Kahn and Antonucci, 1980) were used. The results confirm the assumption of sex-role-specific behavior in social relationships. Gender differences were not found in the size of the social network.

Statistics are presented on divorces in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1981. General trends since 1950 are first reviewed, and divorce rates by age and duration of marriage are analyzed. Comparisons are then made between two tables of marital dissolution, one based on divorces and the other on dissolutions through death. Possible future trends in divorce are also discussed.

Nuptiality tables for widowed and divorced Germans are presented by sex using official data from the Federal Republic of Germany. The data on widowed persons are for 1979-1982, and those on divorced persons are for 1980-1983. Trends in marriage and divorce since 1910 are first reviewed. Major results of the tables are then discussed, and comparisons are made with similar tables for 1972-1974 and with tables for single persons. The findings indicate a decline in the probability of remarriage.