Abstract
Survivors of the Holocaust endured traumatic life situations that defy comprehension. The negative sequelae of this man-made disaster have been extensively documented (for reviews, see Kahana, Harel, & Kahana, 1988; Lomrantz, 1990). In particular, many survivors have been found to suffer long-lasting psychological distress. These after-effects of trauma have been generally viewed by social science researchers and clinicians as adverse reactions to a singular cataclysmic stressor that occurred in the distant past. However, the full spectrum of chronic stressors that long-term survivors of trauma had to cope with, and may continue to endure, has seldom been explored.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Aldwin, C. M. (1992). Aging, coping, and efficacy: A theoretical framework for examining coping in a life-span developmental context. In M. Wykle, E. Kahana, and J. Kowal (Eds.), Stress and health among the elderly (pp. 96–113 ). New York: Springer.
Baum, A. (1990). Stress, intrusive imagery, and chronic distress. Health Psychology, 9, 653–675.
Baum, A., Cohen, L., and Hall, M. (1993). Control and intrusive memories as possible determinants of chronic stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 55, 274–286.
Breznitz, S. (1983). The denial of stress. New York: International Universities Press.
Butler, R. (1975). Why survive? Being old in America. New York: Harper and Row.
Cohen, B. B. (1991). Holocaust survivors and the crisis of aging. The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, 72 (4), 226–232.
Derogotis, L. (1977). Confirmation of the dimensional structure of the Scl-90: A study in construct validation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 33 (4), 981–989.
Frankl, V. (1962). Man’s search for meaning, An introduction to logotherapy. Boston: Beacon.
Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Gottlieb, B. H. (Ed.). (1988). Marshaling social support. Newbury Park CA: Sage.
Green, B. (1993). Identifying survivors at risk: Trauma and stressors across events. In J. P. Wilson and B. Raphael (Eds.), International handbook of traumatic stress syndromes (pp. 135–144 ). New York: Plenum.
Harel, Z., Kahana, B., and Kahana, E. (1988). Psychological well-being among Holocaust survivors and immigrants in Israel. Journal of Traumatic Stress Studies, 1 (4), 413–428.
Hass, A. (1995). The aftermath: Living with the Holocaust. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Helmreich, W. (1992). Against all odds. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Horowitz, M. J. (1975). Intrusive and repetitive thoughts after experimental stresses: A summary. Archives of General Psychiatry, 32, 1457–1463.
Horowitz, M. J. (1982). Stress response syndromes and their treatment. In L. Goldberger and S. Breznitz (Eds.), Handbook of strets: Theoretical and clinical aspects (pp. 711–732 ). New York: Free Press.
JucovY, M. E. (1988). Therapeutic work with survivors and their children: Recurrent themes and problems. In P. Marcus and A. Rosenberg (Eds.), Healing their wounds: psychotherapy with Holocaust survivors and their families (pp. 51–66 ). New York: Praeger.
Kahana, B. (1987). Isolation. In G. Maddox (Ed.), The encyclopedia of aging (pp. 369–370 ). New York: Springer.
Kahana, B., Harel, Z., and Kahana, E. (1988). Predictors of psychological well-being among survivors of the Holocaust. In J. P. Wilson, Z. Harel, and B. Kahana (Eds.), Human adaptation to extreme stress: From the Holocaust to Vietnam (pp. 171–194 ). New York: Plenum.
Kahana, B., and Kahana, E. (1984a). Stress reactions. In P. Lewhinsohn and L. Teri (Eds.), Clinical geropsychology (pp. 139–169 ). New York: Pergamon.
Kahana, B., Oakes, M., Slotterback, C., Kahana, E., and Kercher, K. (1995). Crises throughout the life course: Effects on physical and mental health in late life. Paper presented at annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, November, Los Angeles, CA.
Kahana, E. (1992). Epilogue: Stress research and aging: Complexities, ambiguities, paradoxes and promise. In M. Wykle, E. Kahana, and J. Kowal (Eds.), Stress and health among the elderly (pp. 239–245 ). New York: Springer.
Kahana, E., Fairchild, T., and Kahana, B. (1982). Adaptation. In D. J. Mangen and W. Peterson (Eds.), Research instruments in social gerontology: Clinical and social psychology ( 149–159 ). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Kahana, E., and Kahana, B. (1984). The elderly Jews. In E. Palmore (Ed.), Handbook on the aged in the United States. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Kahana, E., and Kahana, B. (1996). Conceptual and empirical advances in understanding aging well through proactive adaptation. In V. Bengtson (Ed.), Adulthood and Aging: Research on continuities and discontinuities (pp. 18–41 ). New York: Springer.
Kahana, E., Kahana, B., Harel, Z., and Rosner, T. (1988). Coping with extreme trauma. In J. P. Wilson, Z. Harel, and B. Kahana (Eds.), Human adaptation to extreme stress: From the Holocaust to Vietnam (pp. 55–79 ). New York: Plenum.
Kahana, E., Kahana, B., and Young, R. (1987). Strategies of coping and institutional outcomes. Research on Aging, 9, 182–189.
Krell, R., and Rabkin, L. (1979). The effects of sibling death on the surviving child: A family perspective. Family Process, 18, 471–477.
Krystal, H. (1968). Studies of concentration camp survivors. In H. Krystal (Ed.), Massive psychic trauma (pp. 23–46 ). New York: International Universities Press.
Laufer, R. S. (1988). The serial self: War trauma, identity, and adult development. In J. P. Wilson, Z. Hard, and B. Kahana (Eds.), Human adaptation to extreme stress: From the Holocaust to Vietnam (pp. 33–53 ). New York: Plenum.
Lawton, M. P. (1975). The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale: a revision. Journal of Gerontology, 30, 85–89.
Lazarus, R. S., and Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping. New York: Springer.
Lomranz, R. J. (1990). Long-term adaptation to traumatic stress in light of adult development and aging perspectives. In M. A. P. Stephens, J. H. Crowther, S. E. Hobfoll, and D. L. Tennenbaum (Eds.), Stress and coping in later life families (pp. 99–118 ). Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
Martin, L. (1986). A social learning perspective. In S. Ainlay, G. Becker, and L. Coleman (Eds.), The dilemma of difference (pp. 145–160 ). New York: Plenum.
Mgcann, L., and Pearlman, L. (1990). Psychological trauma and the adult survivor. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Mufson, T. (1985). Issues surrounding sibling death during adolescence. Child and Adolescent Social Work, 2 (4), 204–218.
Niederland, W. (1968). The psychiatric evaluations of emotional problems in survivors of Nazi persecution. In H. Krystal (Ed.), Massive psychic trauma (pp. 8–22 ). New York: International Universities Press.
Neugarten, B. L. (1969). Continuities and discontinuities of psychological issues into adult life. Human Development, 12, 121–130.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Morrow, J., and Fredrickson, B. L. (1993). Response style and the duration of episodes of depressed mood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102, 20–28.
Paivio, A. (1986). Mental representation: A dual coding approach. New York: Oxford University Press.
Pennebaker, J. W., Barger, S. D., and Tiebout, J. (1989). Disclosure of trauma and health among Holocaust survivors. Psychosomatic Medicine, 51, 577–589.
Portes, A., and Rumbaut, R. G. (1990). Immigration America: A portrait. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Ragan, P. V., and Mcglashan, T. H. (1986). Childhood parental death and adult psychopathology. Child and Adolescent Social Work, 143, 155–157.
Raphael, B. (1986). When disaster strikes: How individuals and communities cope with catastrophe. New York: Basic Books.
Rosenbloom, M. (1985). The holocaust survivor in late life. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 8, 181–191.
Solomon, Z. (1995). From denial to recognition: Attitudes towards Holocaust survivors from WW II to the present. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8 (2), 2–15.
Wilson, J. P. (1989). Trauma, transformation and healing. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kahana, B., Kahana, E., Harel, Z., Kelly, K., Monaghan, P., Holland, L. (1997). A Framework for Understanding the Chronic Stress of Holocaust Survivors. In: Gottlieb, B.H. (eds) Coping with Chronic Stress. The Springer Series on Stress and Coping. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9862-3_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9862-3_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9864-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9862-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive