Psychiatric disorders and other health dimensions among Holocaust survivors 6 decades later.
BACKGROUND
No previous community-based epidemiological study has explored psychiatric disorders among those who survived the Holocaust.


OBJECTIVE
To examine anxiety and depressive disorders, sleep disturbances, other health problems and use of services among individuals exposed and unexposed to the Holocaust.


METHODS
The relevant population samples were part of the Israel World Mental Health Survey. The interview schedule included the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and other health-related items.


RESULTS
The Holocaust survivor group had higher lifetime (16.1%; OR = 6.8, 95% CI 1.9-24.2) and 12-month (6.9%; OR = 22.5, 95% CI 2.5-204.8) prevalence rates of anxiety disorders, and more current sleep disturbances (62.4%; OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.4-4.4) and emotional distress (P<0.001) than their counterparts, but did not have higher rates of depressive disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
Early severe adversity was associated with psychopathological disorder long after the end of the Second World War, but not in all survivors. Age during the Holocaust did not modify the results.
Sharon
Asaf
A
Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem.
Levav
Itzhak
I
Brodsky
Jenny
J
Shemesh
Annarosa Anat
AA
Kohn
Robert
R
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D017767:Holocaust / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007585:Jews / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008016:Life Change Events; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D014857:Warfare