title: The inoculating role of previous exposure to potentially traumatic life events on coping with prolonged exposure to rocket attacks: A lifespan perspective.
abstract: Relatively little research have addressed the effect of prolonged exposure to rocket attacks with a lifespan perspective and only a handful of these studies focused on the effect of this exposure as a function of aging. The present study examined the effects of seven years of rocket attacks fired toward the south of Israel on adult participants of different ages. We examined whether potentially traumatic life events (PTLEs) unrelated to rocket attacks moderated the association between post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and age. Data were obtained from a 2007 telephone survey using the Random Digit Dialing method and including 343 individuals (76.7% participation rate). Exposure to rockets, PTLEs, global distress, and post-traumatic symptomatology were assessed. Older age was associated with a higher level of PTS symptoms. Higher PTLE levels attenuated the association between age and PTS symptoms. Our results suggest that age is a risk factor for developing PTS symptoms under prolonged exposure to rocket attacks. However, previous levels of exposure to other negative events, as well as gender, appear to inoculate a person to stress, thus modulating the age-PTS association.
authors: Department of Gerontology, The Center for Research and Study of Aging, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave. Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838 Israel. Electronic address: ypalgi@research.haifa.ac.il.
authors: Yuval
authors: Y
authors: Palgi
authors: Department of Community Mental Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa; and NATAL Center for the Treatment of Victims of Terror and War, Tel Aviv, Israel; NATAL Center for the Treatment of Victims of Terror and War, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Gelkopf
authors: Department of Emergency Medicine, PREPARED Center for Emergency Response Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheba, Israel.
authors: Rony
authors: R
authors: Berger
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D054042:Bombs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chronic stress; Older adults; PTSD; Potentially traumatic life events; Rocket attacks