Main description:

Based on a unique research study, this volume examines the later life development of Holocaust survivors from Israel and the US. Through systematic interviews, the authors - noted researchers and clinicians - collected data about the lives of these survivors and how they compared to peers who did not share this experience. The orientation of the book synthesizes several conceptual approaches - gerontological and life span development, stress research, and traumatology, and also reflects the varied disciplines of the authors, spanning psychology, social work, and sociology. The result is a multi-faceted view of their subject with an understanding of the individual, society, and the interaction of the two, tempered by the authors' own Holocaust experiences. Chapters cover a range of areas including stress and coping of these survivors, reviews of their heath and mental health, an examination of their social integration, as well as a review of the multiple predictors of psychological well-being and adaptation to aging. This book will be of interest to psychologists, social workers, sociologists, psychiatrists, and all those who study both trauma and aging.

Contents:

Chapter 1: Placing Adaptation among Elderly Holocaust Survivors in a Theoretical Context Chapter 2: The Holocaust Years: Survivors Share Their Wartime Experiences Chapter 3: From Destruction to Search for New Lives Chapter 4: Cumulative Stress Experiences of Holocaust Survivors and the Immigrant Comparison Group Chapter 5: Physical Health of Holocaust Survivors and Immigrants in the U.S. and Israel Chapter 6: Mental Health of Older Holocaust Survivors Chapter 7: Social Resources and the Mental Health Chapter 8: Predictors of Psychological Well-Being: A Multivariate Model Chapter 9: Vulnerability, Resilience, Memories, and Meaning