Trauma and current posttraumatic stress symptoms in elderly German women who experienced wartime rapes in 1945.
The aim of this study was to determine the persistent trauma impact and significant posttraumatic stress symptoms in a sample of very elderly German women who survived the mass rapes committed by soldiers at the end of World War II. A total of 27 women were recruited, interviewed, and then administered a modified Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale. They all reported a very severe degree of trauma exposure in 1945; 19% reported significant current posttraumatic stress symptoms indicating a possible posttraumatic stress disorder at the time of the study, and 30% fulfilled the criteria of a current partial posttraumatic stress disorder. The results highlight the necessity for prevention and treatment programs for women exposed to wartime rapes in current conflict settings worldwide, and the need to identify and treat posttraumatic conditions in the elderly generation of all countries exposed to World War II trauma.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Stralsund, Germany. kuwert@uni-greifswald.de
Philipp
P
Kuwert
Thomas
T
Klauer
Svenja
S
Eichhorn
Elena
E
Grundke
Manuela
M
Dudeck
Georg
G
Schomerus
Harald J
HJ
Freyberger
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014728:Veterans; D047789:World War II