title: Neuropsychological functioning in posttraumatic stress disorder following forced displacement in older adults and their offspring.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate neuropsychological performance in an untried trauma sample of older adults displaced during childhood at the end of World War II (WWII) with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as transgenerational effects of trauma and PTSD on their offspring. Displaced older adults with (n=20) and without PTSD (n=24) and nondisplaced healthy individuals (n=11) as well as one of their respective offspring were assessed with a large battery of cognitive tests (primarily targeting memory functioning). No evidence for deficits in neuropsychological performance was found in the aging group of displaced people with PTSD. Moreover, no group difference emerged in the offspring groups. Findings may be interpreted as first evidence for a rather resilient PTSD group of older adults that is available for assessment 60 years after displacement.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: l.jelinek@uke.uni-hamburg.de.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jelinek
authors.forename: Charlotte E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Wittekind
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moritz
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kellner
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muhtz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D047789:World War II
keywords: Attention; Geriatric psychiatry; Memory; Neuropsychology; PTSD