"The exposure to various traumas for long periods of time and the suffering that the survivors experienced during the Holocaust increased the risk of developing schizophrenia. It is a combination of effects that occurred during pregnancy and after birth," said Prof. Steven Levin, who conducted the study
Holocaust survivors are at high risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a comprehensive study conducted at the university. "The exposure to various traumas for long periods of time and the suffering that the survivors experienced during the Holocaust increased the risk of developing schizophrenia. It is a combination of effects that occurred during pregnancy and after birth," said Prof. Steven Levin, who conducted the study.
Holocaust survivors developed psychological disorders over the years, and in many clinical studies conducted, the survivors were diagnosed with symptoms of emotional stress, sleep disorders, and various psychiatric disorders. According to the researchers, to date no research has been done that examined the relationship between genocide and the risk of developing schizophrenia. A new study which examined the relationship between exposure to the events of the Holocaust and the risk of developing schizophrenia, was recently conducted by Prof. Steven Levin and Prof. Yitzhak Levev from the Department of Community Mental Health at the University, Dr. Yair Goldberg from the Department of Statistics at the University, Ms. Ina Pugachov, Ms. Yifat Bacher and Ms. Rinat Yofa from the Department of Information and Estimation at the Ministry of Health.
The study took place thanks to cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health and was based on information that included 113,932 people, 51.7% men, 48.3% women. The study population was divided into two groups: the first group included people who immigrated to Israel before the Holocaust began in their country of origin but who had family members or social connections to people who were exposed to the Holocaust. The second group included people who directly experienced the Holocaust and who immigrated to Israel after the end of World War II. The results of the study show that the population group that was directly exposed to the Holocaust has a 27% higher risk of developing schizophrenia compared to the population group that was indirectly exposed to the Holocaust.
It was also found in the comparison between the two groups that among those who developed schizophrenia, the disorder broke out, on average, at a younger age than among the group who experienced the Holocaust. The population group that is at the highest risk of developing schizophrenia is that of people who were born as babies in the Holocaust (and were already in the womb during it): this group's risk of developing schizophrenia is 41% higher than the group that was indirectly exposed. Children up to the age of two, who were directly exposed to the Holocaust, have a 26% higher risk of developing schizophrenia compared to people who were not exposed to the Holocaust. According to the researchers, disruption of normal neurological development in childhood increases the risk of developing schizophrenia. This confirms the assumption that neurological development in childhood is a very important stage for normal development later in life. "In the research literature there is a dispute regarding the effects of exposure to the Holocaust. Some claim that Holocaust survivors who survived were stronger and healthier people and therefore it can be expected in advance that they will be at a lower risk of developing schizophrenia. On the other hand, some claim that following the prolonged exposure to extreme trauma, Holocaust survivors were at a higher risk of developing schizophrenia, and this study confirms this claim," Prof. Levin concluded.
The study was funded by the Claims Committee and the National Science Foundation and was published in the journal Psychological Medicine published by Cambridge University Press.
