Longitudinal assessment of dissociation in Holocaust survivors with and without PTSD and nonexposed aged Jewish adults

Abstract

The trajectory of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and PTSD-related symptoms in relation to aging is not well understood. We previously observed higher levels of dissociation as measured by the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) among older Holocaust survivors with, compared to those without, PTSD, though scores on the DES in Holocaust survivors were markedly lower than those that had been reported for younger cohorts. We undertook a longitudinal evaluation of dissociation in Holocaust survivors. Twenty-six Holocaust survivors with current PTSD, 30 Holocaust survivors without current PTSD, and 19 nonexposed were evaluated at the initial evaluation and subsequently 8.11 years later. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the DES scores from these times demonstrated a significant main effect for time and a significant group by time interaction, reflecting a marked decline in Holocaust survivors, particularly those with PTSD. Controlling for age obliterated the effect of time, but not the group by time interaction. A similar pattern was shown with The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) scores. Different symptoms related to PTSD show different trajectories of change with age, with dissociation appearing to be less prominent with age. © 2006 New York Academy of Sciences.