Abstract
Objective: The goal of the current study is to examine whether social connectedness among older adults mitigates the risk of poor health due to exposure to warfare and related symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prior research has indicated a protective role for social connectedness in the face of trauma in general. However, this same association has not been examined among older adults exposed to warfare, even though they are potentially a more vulnerable population with unique social needs. Method: The study used cross-sectional data from the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE-Israel; N = 1,557, mean age = 69.03, age range = 50 to 105). It employed a composite scale of social connectedness, data on exposure to war-related events during the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, and ensuing symptoms of PTSD. Social connectedness, warfare exposure, and PTSD symptoms were used to predict physical and mental health, as well as engagement in health behaviors. Results: Warfare exposure and PTSD symptoms were related to worse health. Moreover, social connectedness moderated this association, such that persons suffering from PTSD symptoms suffered less from worse health when they were highly connected. This trend was found for physical and mental health and in relation to health behaviors. Conclusions: While war-related PTSD is indeed related to poorer health, social connectedness moderates the strength of the association. Practitioners should be aware of the protective role of social connectedness in the context of warfare exposure in old age, and intervention programs with this population should strive toward bolstering social connections.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 158-172 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Psychiatry (New York) |
| Volume | 82 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 3 Apr 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:©, © Washington School of Psychiatry.
Funding
Wave 4 data collection in SHARE-Israel was funded by the NIH (R01-AG031729) and the Ministry for Senior Citizens. SHARE data collection has been primarily funded by the European Commission through FP5 (QLK6-CT-2001-00360), FP6 (SHARE-I3: RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE: CIT5-CT-2005-028857, SHARELIFE: CIT4-CT-2006-028812), and FP7 (SHARE-PREP: N°211909, SHARE-LEAP: N°227822, SHARE M4: N°261982). Additional funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National Institute on Aging (U01_AG09740-13S2, P01_AG005842, P01_AG08291, P30_AG12815, R21_AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG_BSR06-11, OGHA_04-064, HHSN271201300071C), and from various national funding sources is gratefully acknowledged (see www.share-project.org).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Ministry for Senior Citizens | |
| National Institutes of Health | R01-AG031729 |
| National Institute on Aging | P01_AG005842, Y1-AG-4553-01, OGHA_04-064, P30_AG12815, HHSN271201300071C, R21_AG025169, IAG_BSR06-11, P01AG008291, U01_AG09740-13S2 |
| Seventh Framework Programme | 261982, 211909, 227822 |
| Sixth Framework Programme | CIT4-CT-2006-028812, RII-CT-2006-062193, CIT5-CT-2005-028857 |
| Fifth Framework Programme | QLK6-CT-2001-00360 |
| European Commission | |
| Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung | |
| Max-Planck-Gesellschaft |
