Reminiscence functions and the health of Israeli Holocaust survivors as compared to other older Israelis and older Canadians.
OBJECTIVES
Existing research with English-speaking samples indicates that various ways in which older adults recall their past affect both their physical and mental health. Self-positive reminiscence functions (i.e. identity, problem-solving, death preparation) correlate and predict mental health in later life whereas self-negative functions (i.e. bitterness revival, boredom reduction, intimacy maintenance) correlate and predict the physical health of older adults.


METHOD
For this study, we recruited 295 Israeli Holocaust survivors to ascertain if early life trauma affects these associations between reminiscence and health. In order to distinguish cross-national differences from survivor-specific effects, we also recruited two comparative samples of other older Israelis (not Holocaust survivors; n = 205) and a second comparative sample of 335 older Canadians. Three separate structural equation models were computed to replicate this tripartite reminiscence and health model.


RESULTS
Coefficients for self-negative functions significantly differed between survivors and both Canadians and other older Israelis, and between Canadians and both Israeli samples. However, no differences were found between prosocial and self-positive functions. Moreover, the higher order structure of reminiscence and health appears largely indistinguishable across these three groups.


CONCLUSION
Early life trauma does not appear to fundamentally affect associations between reminiscence and health. These findings underscore the resilience of Holocaust survivors.
["O'Rourke|Norm|N|", 'Bachner|Yaacov G|YG|', 'Cappeliez|Philippe|P|', 'Chaudhury|Habib|H|', 'Carmel|Sara|S|']
D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D002170:Canada D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison D005260:Female D006304:Health Status D006305:Health Status Indicators D017767:Holocaust D006801:Humans D007557:Israel D008297:Male D008568:Memory D008603:Mental Health D011939:Mental Recall D015233:Models, Statistical D013315:Stress, Psychological D017741:Survivors
reminiscence functions health Holocaust survivors cross-national comparisons invariance analyses well-being