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Surviving the Holocaust: a meta-analysis of the long-term sequelae of a genocide.
- Source :
-
Psychological bulletin [Psychol Bull] 2010 Sep; Vol. 136 (5), pp. 677-98. - Publication Year :
- 2010
-
Abstract
- The current set of meta-analyses elucidates the long-term psychiatric, psychosocial, and physical consequences of the Holocaust for survivors. In 71 samples with 12,746 participants Holocaust survivors were compared with their counterparts (with no Holocaust background) on physical health, psychological well-being, posttraumatic stress symptoms, psychopathological symptomatology, cognitive functioning, and stress-related physiology. Holocaust survivors were less well adjusted, as apparent from studies on nonselected samples (trimmed combined effect size d = 0.22, 95% CI [0.13, 0.31], N = 9,803) and from studies on selected samples (d = 0.45, 95% CI [0.32, 0.59], N = 2,943). In particular, they showed substantially more posttraumatic stress symptoms (nonselect studies: d = 0.72, 95% CI [0.46, 0.98], N = 1,763). They did not lag, however, much behind their comparisons in several other domains of functioning (i.e., physical health, stress-related physical measures, and cognitive functioning) and showed remarkable resilience. The coexistence of stress-related symptoms and good adaptation in some other areas of functioning may be explained by the unique characteristics of the symptoms of Holocaust survivors, who combine resilience with the use of defensive mechanisms. In most domains of functioning no differences were found between Israeli samples and samples from other countries. The exception was psychological well-being: For this domain it was found that living in Israel rather than elsewhere can serve as a protective factor. A biopsychological stress-diathesis model is used to interpret the findings, and future directions for research and social policy are discussed.
- Subjects :
- Adaptation, Psychological
Age Distribution
Australia
Canada
Cognition
Humans
Israel
Mental Disorders etiology
Mental Disorders psychology
Resilience, Psychological
Sex Distribution
Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic etiology
Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic psychology
Stress, Psychological complications
Stress, Psychological psychology
Time
United States
Health Status
Holocaust psychology
Homicide psychology
Survivors psychology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1939-1455
- Volume :
- 136
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Psychological bulletin
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 20804233
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020339