Late Effects of Trauma: PTSD in Holocaust Survivors

Abstract

Participants in this study were Jewish Holocaust survivors (N = 89) divided into groups depending on the type of trauma they had experienced. As compared to the control group, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were clearly more persistent in the trauma group. The most salient PTSD symptoms (primarily avoidance and increased arousal) were noted in those who survived hiding on the “Aryan side.” Men were more at risk for reexperiencing trauma than women, who were more prone to avoidance or numbing of general responsiveness. The study confirms hypotheses regarding negative effects of early trauma exposure. The results show that particular PTSD dimensions are interrelated; namely, there is a highly significant correlation between avoidance and reexperiencing trauma on one hand and increased arousal on the other. No relationship was found between PTSD severity and either prewar personality traits or prewar social experiences.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Polish Ministry of Science.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Katarzyna Prot

Katarzyna Prot is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist who has been investigating the problems of psychological consequences of trauma for many years now. She conducts individual and group psychotherapy of Holocaust survivors and is the author of many publications on this subject based on her clinical experience and scientific research. She is the head of the Mental Health Center at the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw.