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Time Does Not Heal All Wounds: Quality of Life and Psychological Distress of People Who Survived the Holocaust as Children 55 Years Later

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Journal of Traumatic Stress

Abstract

The present study assessed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, psychological distress, and subjective quality of life (QoL) in a group of 43 child Holocaust survivors and a community sample of 44 persons who had not personally experienced the Holocaust. The participants were administered the PTSD-Scale, the SCL-90, and the WHOQOL-Bref. Results showed that the child survivors had higher PTSD symptom scores, higher depression, anxiety, somatization, and anger–hostility scores; and lower physical, psychological, and social QoL than did the comparison group. The findings suggest that the psychological consequences of being a child during the Holocaust can be long lasting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

    Marianne Amir

  2. Department of Social Work, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

    Marianne Amir & Rachel Lev-Wiesel

Authors
  1. Marianne Amir
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  2. Rachel Lev-Wiesel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marianne Amir.

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Amir, M., Lev-Wiesel, R. Time Does Not Heal All Wounds: Quality of Life and Psychological Distress of People Who Survived the Holocaust as Children 55 Years Later. J Trauma Stress 16, 295–299 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023756326443

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023756326443

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