Cumulative adversity and depressive symptoms among older adults in Israel: the differential roles of self-oriented versus other-oriented events of potential trauma

Abstract

Background The study examined the association between cumulative adversity and current depressive symptoms in a national sample of Israelis aged 50+. Referring to cumulative adversity as exposure to potentially traumatic events along life, the study distinguished between events primarily inflicted upon the self (self-oriented adversity) versus upon another person (other-oriented adversity). Method Data were drawn from the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). During 2005–2006, 1710 Jews and Arabs completed an inventory of potentially traumatic events and two measures of depressive symptoms: the European Depression scale (Euro-D) and the Adapted Center for Epidemiological Studies—Depression scale (ACES-D). The Euro-D is more detailed in querying cognitions and motivations while the ACES-D is more detailed in querying feelings and social alienation. Results In line with the hypothesis, self-oriented adversity had a positive association with depressive symptoms whereas other-oriented adversity had either no association or an inverse association with depressive symptoms. Sociodemographic characteristics and perceived health were controlled in the multivariate regressions. Conclusions The differential association of self- versus other-oriented adversity with depressive symptoms may be explained in terms of social commitments that are inherent in other-oriented adversity and incompatible with depressive symptoms. The study points to the variations in the symptom compositions represented by the Euro-D and ACES-D, with the latter better capturing the difference between self- and other-oriented adversities.

Do Holocaust survivors show increased vulnerability or resilience to post‐Holocaust cumulative adversity?

“…Future studies with larger samples of previously traumatized old people may apply more elaborative exploration of cumulative adversity and account for different types of adversities (e.g., Shmotkin & Litwin, 2009) in different life periods (Krause et al, 2004). Examination of vulnerability of previously traumatized old people should further refer to symptoms of complex trauma.…”

“…Based on Breslau et al's (1998) survey of lifetime traumatic events and a pilot version administered to older Israelis, this inventory was adapted especially for the drop-off questionnaire in the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (Shmotkin & Litwin, 2009). The inventory consisted of 17 difficult life events that included bereavement-related events (e.g., experiencing the death of a spouse), life hardships and health vulnerabilities (e.g., being at a risk of death due to illness or serious accident), war-and terrorism-related events (e.g., being wounded in war or military action), and other victimizations (e.g., being the victim of crime).…”

“…Informed consent had been obtained from all participants prior to the interview. The Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe received ethical approval by the Institutional Review Board of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (for more on this survey, see Litwin & Sapir, 2008;Shmotkin & Litwin, 2009).…”

Persecution in Central Europe and Its Consequences on the Lives of SHARE Respondents

“…Interestingly the SHARELIFE data also suggest that they are more likely to report a specific period of happiness. Such attitudes are also reported in studies on the Holocaust survivors and their children (see Krell et al, 1997;Shmotkin and Litwin, 2009). However, when we look at satisfaction with professional life, the consequences of persecution are still very strong, in particular in the Czech Republic, where as we saw in Figure 24.7, the direct implications on professional life were most severe.…”

Sexual Abuse Histories Among Incarcerated Older Adult Offenders: A Descriptive Study

“…Research on the temporal effects of childhood trauma, especially on later life functioning, has been minimally explored. While the data are scant, findings indicate that childhood trauma exposure may result in minor psychological distress or lead to more severe mental health consequences, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment , Neal et al, 1995Shmotkin & Litwin, 2009). It is important to note that age plays a significant role in this relationship, as older adults with earlier life trauma have been shown to have a higher risk of revictimization for elder abuse, especially if their social support network is limited (Acierno et al, 2007).…”