WWII trauma impacts physical and mental health in the oldest old: results from a German population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Epidemiological studies in different traumatised samples indicate an increased risk for numerous physical and mental diseases. It is suspected that this is due to chronic changes in fundamental processes in the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems, which take years to manifest pathologically. Previous studies have considered intervals of a few decades. However, little is known about whether a link between trauma and physical and mental health can be established over very long periods of time and in the oldest old population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1,299 German citizens aged 80 and above were interviewed about on-going suffering from the effects of traumatic World War II (WWII) events as well as about physical and mental health. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the impact of suffering from the effects of traumatic events on general health, several medical conditions, multimorbidity, pain, and depression. RESULTS: 43.94% of the oldest old were still suffering from the effects of traumatic events in connection with WWII. Participants who were still suffering from the effects of traumatic events were more likely to be treated for heart failure, blood diseases, bladder problems, back pain, respiratory or lung diseases, and sleep disorders. They also had poorer general health, higher multimorbidity, more pain, and higher depression scores. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that chronic psychological suffering from the effects of traumatic events in early life is associated with impaired physical and mental health even seven decades after the events.

WWII traumatic events, subjective well-being and valuation of life in the very old.

BACKGROUND: Experiencing war is a major trigger for physical and mental health problems. People in the German population who are currently over 80 years of age experienced the Second World War (WWII) as children or adolescents, at a time when psychological vulnerability is high. Empirical results show that positive subjective well-being (SWB) and valuation of life (VoL) in older cohorts are widespread; however, when confronted with existential age-associated changes, many older adults experience increased burden, sometimes bringing biographical vulnerabilities to the forefront. This study investigated SWB and VoL in the very old and examined the influence of negative WWII experiences on these outcomes. METHOD: Cross-sectional data from the "Survey on quality of life and subjective well-being of the very old in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW80+)" are presented. Multiple regression models, adjusted for gender, age, physical health, and full inpatient care, were computed to assess the impact of suffering from the effects of WWII traumatic experiences on SWB and VoL. RESULTS: Over 13% spontaneously reported suffering from the effects of WWII events and an additional 29% reported negative experiences when explicitly asked about them. Multiple regression models showed elevated depression scores for participants suffering from the effects of WWII traumatic events. No association with positive affect was found. Suffering from the effects of WWII traumatic events did not influence VoL engagement with life or VoL optimism. DISCUSSION: Many very old adults still seem to struggle with the repercussions of WWII traumatic experiences. Future studies could further examine if the missing association with positive affect and VoL is a sign of resilience.