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


CONCLUSIONS
The correlations between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and long-term course on the one hand and salutogenetic factors on the other are discussed.
Freyberger
Harald J
HJ
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie der Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald am Hanse-Klinikum Stralsund. freyberg@uni-greifswald.de
Freyberger
Hellmuth
H
D000368:Aged; D035881:Compensation and Redress; D003209:Concentration Camps; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005104:Expert Testimony; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017767:Holocaust / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007585:Jews / Q000523:psychology*; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010552:Personality Assessment; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*