title: Subjective Age and Health in Later Life: The Role of Posttraumatic Symptoms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined: (a) long-term effects of war-related trauma and captivity on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), physical health, and subjective age; and (b) the moderation effect of PTSS and health on subjective age among ex-prisoners of war (ex-POWs) and war veterans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Israeli veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur War (mean age 57 years), including 111 ex-POWs and 167 matched veterans were assessed for subjective age, war-related PTSS, and health-related measures (physical symptoms, somatization, health-risk behaviors, and self-rated health).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Controlling for age, ex-POWs endorsed higher subjective age than controls, and ex-POWs with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) endorsed higher subjective age than ex-POWs and controls without PTSD. PTSS and health measures besides health-risk behaviors predicted subjective age. Significant interactions were found between PTSS and each health measure, suggesting that health only predicts subjective age for those reporting high PTSS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PTSS appear to be implicated in the link between health measures and subjective age in later life, pointing to the long-term effect of captivity and war-induced traumatic distress on aging.
authors.affiliation: I-Core Research Center for Mass Trauma and sha1@post.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Avidor
authors.affiliation: Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Benyamini
authors.affiliation: I-Core Research Center for Mass Trauma and.
authors.forename: Zahava
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Solomon
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D014857:Warfare
keywords: Captivity; Physical health; Posttraumatic stress symptoms; Subjective age