Bachem Rahel, Stein Jacob Y, Levin Yafit, Solomon Zahava
I-Core Research Center for Mass Trauma, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2019 Mar 22;10(1):1583522. doi: 10.1080/20008198.2019.1583522.
: Subjective age (SA) is an indicator of aging that has been empirically associated with health impediments and hindered longevity. Studies show that adverse life events may result in relatively older SA, but have not addressed the differential contribution of life events across the lifespan and the course of posttraumatic psychopathology on the SA of aging survivors of extreme trauma. : Filling this gap, the current study explored the differential contribution of (1) adverse experiences in various life-stages and (2) trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the prediction of SA in a sample of former prisoners-of-war as they enter old age. : A cohort of Israeli former prisoners-of-war of the 1973 Yom Kippur War ( = 103) was assessed at four points throughout four decades after the war. A linear hierarchical regression was utilized to assess the contribution of negative life events during childhood, participation in other wars, combat exposure, suffering in captivity, life events since the war and the trajectories of PTSD for predicting SA 42-years post-repatriation. : Lifespan adversity explained 50% of the variance in SA, with trajectories of PTSD making the largest contribution, followed by life events since the war. Negative life events in childhood added to the explained variance only when PTSD trajectories were accounted for. Exposure to combat, participation in additional wars and the severity of specific experiences during captivity did not reach significance, though the latter marginally contributed to the explained variance ( .069). : This study demonstrates the importance of considering the prolongation of posttraumatic psychopathology together with life adversities and their differential implications when addressing SA after extreme trauma. The findings suggest that early life adversity may be a latent factor that increases vulnerability to posttraumatic premature aging processes.
主观年龄（SA）是一种衰老指标，经实证研究表明它与健康问题和寿命缩短有关。研究表明，不良生活事件可能导致相对较高的主观年龄，但尚未探讨不同年龄段的生活事件以及创伤后精神病理学过程对极端创伤老年幸存者主观年龄的不同影响。为填补这一空白，本研究探讨了（1）不同生命阶段的不良经历和（2）创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）轨迹对一组老年前战俘主观年龄预测的不同影响。对1973年赎罪日战争的一群以色列前战俘（= 103）在战后四十年中的四个时间点进行了评估。采用线性分层回归来评估童年时期的负面生活事件、参与其他战争、战斗经历、囚禁中的苦难、战后生活事件以及创伤后应激障碍轨迹对遣返42年后主观年龄的预测作用。一生的逆境解释了主观年龄差异的50%，其中创伤后应激障碍轨迹的影响最大，其次是战后生活事件。只有在考虑创伤后应激障碍轨迹时，童年时期的负面生活事件才会增加可解释的差异。战斗经历、参与其他战争以及囚禁期间特定经历的严重程度未达到显著水平，尽管后者对可解释差异有微弱贡献（.069）。本研究表明，在处理极端创伤后的主观年龄时，考虑创伤后精神病理学的持续时间以及生活逆境及其不同影响非常重要。研究结果表明，早年的逆境可能是一个潜在因素，会增加创伤后过早衰老过程的易感性。
