This is according to two separate studies by the Hebrew University and the University of Haifa. The study at the Hebrew University dealt with the mortality rates of Holocaust survivors, while that of Haifa University revealed that survivors who were lonely during the Holocaust suffer from loneliness in their old age
Exposures to distress conditions in the early stages of life have significant health consequences later in life. Holocaust survivors were exposed to a combination of distressing conditions, such as extreme physical and emotional abuse, hunger and infectious diseases. Many studies examined various health indicators among Holocaust survivors, and although higher percentages of heart disease and cancer were found, the researchers who dealt with in mortality rates Among the survivors they did not reach an unequivocal conclusion. To date, no research has been conducted on specific causes of death among Holocaust survivors, such as mortality from heart disease or cancer. A new study by a team of researchers from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University, led by Dr. Yaroslav Yossiim and Dr. Hagit Hochner, examined the mortality rates from specific diseases and over a long period of time during life among Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel and started a family. The researchers checked whether the survivors suffered from excess mortality during their lives.
The exposure to the events of the Holocaust increased by 15% the chance of them dying from all causes
The researchers used detailed mortality data collected between 1964-2016 for nearly 22,000 people and compared general mortality chances and from specific diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, among Holocaust survivors with the mortality chances of people with similar characteristics who were not exposed to the Holocaust. Among women, exposure to the events of the Holocaust increased their chances of dying from all causes by 15%. In addition, Holocaust survivors died of cancer 17% more often than women who did not experience the Holocaust. Among male Holocaust survivors, an excess mortality of 14% from cancer was found during the follow-up period compared to men who were not exposed to the Holocaust, and an amazing figure of 39% excess mortality from heart disease.
Dr. Yossiim explains: "The findings show that even among people who came to Israel and started a family, exposure to the Nazi regime early in life was associated with excess mortality from all causes as well as from specific causes during their lifetime. Our research supports the hypothesis that exists in the literature about Holocaust survivors, according to which the survivors are characterized by general health resilience, but at the same time also by increased vulnerability from specific diseases." "The findings point to the importance of long-term follow-up research, which makes it possible to study mortality at different points in time: both in mid-life and at different old ages," added Dr. Hochner, "our research sheds light on mortality patterns of people who were exposed to very strong trauma in their youth. The research is important both for the population of Jewish survivors and for other populations in the world who have experienced or are experiencing traumatic events."
For the full article, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology
The more lonely the Holocaust survivors felt during the Holocaust, the more alone they feel today
The longer people who lived through the Holocaust were alone during it, the higher the level of traumatic symptoms they experience today, according to a new study conducted at the University of Haifa and published in the journal GeroPsych. In addition, it was found that among those who reported feeling very lonely during the Holocaust, their traumatic symptoms were lower if they acquired the ability to positively experience time with themselves. "We can now better understand how devastating the difficulty of being alone and the experience of loneliness during the Holocaust was, but also what helped many to cope with this difficulty," said Prof. Yuval Pelagi from the University of Haifa, one of the authors of the study.
75 years after the end of World War II and a year after the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, Holocaust survivors are forced to face the challenges of old age, among them loneliness, in the shadow of the long-term consequences of the trauma they went through during the war. According to the researchers, the experience of loneliness is a major factor in the aging experience of Holocaust survivors. On the other hand, the experience of the soloists, which is the positive experience of being with yourself voluntarily, a concept recently developed by Prof. Pelagi and his colleagues, has a significant ability to alleviate the suffering created by past experiences of loneliness and isolation. In the current study, Prof. Pelagi and research student Yonat Hayon from the Department of Gerontology-Aging Sciences at Haifa University together with Dr. Lee Greenblatt-Kimron from Ariel University asked to see if there is a connection between the loneliness felt by the survivors during the war years and the post-traumatic symptoms they are experiencing today. The level of loneliness was measured by reporting the number of years they lived during the Holocaust without any first degree family member, as well as based on the subjective experience of the feeling of loneliness they felt during the war. 81 Holocaust survivors who were born in Europe before 1939 and were 16 or younger at the time of the outbreak of war participated in the study.
The results of the study show that the number of years the survivors reported that they lived without any first-degree family members, as well as the degree of their experience of loneliness during the Holocaust, were related to the degree to which they report that they feel lonely today: the more lonely they felt during the Holocaust, the more likely they will feel more lonely today.
The higher the level of loneliness reported by the survivors today, the higher the level of traumatic symptoms: intrusive memories of experiences from the time of the Holocaust, nightmares at night, difficulty concentrating, avoiding stimuli related to the Holocaust, and the like was high. This relationship was stronger among survivors who reported spending more time alone during the Holocaust. "In other words, the lonelier the survivors were during the Holocaust, the lonelier they feel today and thus the level of their traumatic symptoms increase," said Prof. Pelagi.
However, it turns out that this relationship was different among Holocaust survivors who managed to develop "soloist" abilities. As mentioned, this is a new concept developed by Prof. Pelagi and it refers to the ability of people to actually want and even enjoy being alone (solo). These survivors reported lower levels of trauma, even if they were alone during the Holocaust. "It seems that those who learned over the years to enjoy themselves for a long time were better able to deal with the difficult experiences of the trauma of the Holocaust. We all experience loneliness during our lives, but it is evident that its negative consequences can be reduced by improving the ability to enjoy time with ourselves. We hope that in this way we can help the Holocaust survivors who are alone for a long time and experience loneliness", concluded the researchers.
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