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Do Holocaust survivors show increased vulnerability or resilience to post‐Holocaust cumulative adversity?
Author(s) -
Shrira Amit,
Palgi Yuval,
BenEzra Menachem,
Shmotkin Dov
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20524
Subject(s) - the holocaust , holocaust survivors , psychology , psychological resilience , coping (psychology) , vulnerability (computing) , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , psychotherapist , philosophy , theology , computer security , computer science
Abstract Prior trauma can hinder coping with additional adversity or inoculate against the effect of recurrent adversity. The present study further addressed this issue by examining whether a subsample of Holocaust survivors and comparison groups, drawn from the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe, were differentially affected by post‐Holocaust cumulative adversity. Post‐Holocaust cumulative adversity had a stronger effect on the lifetime depression of Holocaust survivors than on that of comparisons. However, comparisons were more negatively affected by post‐Holocaust cumulative adversity when examining markers of physical and cognitive functioning. Our findings suggest that previous trauma can both sensitize and immunize, as Holocaust survivors show general resilience intertwined with specific vulnerability when confronted with additional cumulative adversity.