[60 years later: posttraumatic stress disorders, salutogenetic factors and medical expert assessment in Holocaust survivors in the long-term course]

Abstract

Objectives: The long-term course of posttraumatic stress disorders was studied in Holocaust survivors. The effect of possible salutogenetic factors was also assessed.

Methods: On the basis of 600 assessments by medical experts of applicants for compensation, a list of individual details of posttraumatic stress disorders as well as different salutogenetic elements are identified.

Results: In more than the half of the patients the posttraumatic stress disorders did not occur progressively. The most frequent posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were sleep disturbances, recurrent nightmares, intrusive recollections as well as depressive and anxiety disorders. The salutogenetic factors found concerned the state of Israel, the differentiated communication within the marriage of two survivors, the birth of children and various specific holocaust-related issues.

Discussion: The correlations between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and long-term course on the one hand and salutogenetic factors on the other are discussed.