A Comparison Between Elderly Holocaust Survivors and People Who Survived the Holocaust as Children S. Robinson, M.D., I. Adler, Ph.D. and S. Metzer, B.A. Survival of Parents Among the elderly there are more survivors who had lost both their parents than among child survivors (72% compared to 36%). Survival of siblings: in only 27% of the elderly survivors all siblings survived as compared to 52% of the child survivors. Post-War Period There is no significant difference between the two groups as to the year of immigration to Israel. Both groups arrived with the wave of immigration between 1947-1952. Coping and Adjustment More child survivors attained higher education than elderly survivors (55%-37%). More child survivors than elderly survivors reported their absorption in Israel as very good (74%-59%). This difference is statistically significant. More child survivors than elderly survivors are doctors, lawyers, etc. (21%-16%). In elderly survivors, the suffering from these survivor symptoms was significantly more marked than in the child survivors (see table 2). Table 2: Suffering from the Survivor Syndrome after the war. Comparison of Child Survivors and Elderly Survivors (%) Symptom Child Survivors Elderly Survivors   Nervousness 53 62   Insomnia 38 59 statistically significant Nightmares with Holocaust content 55 67   Headaches 38 44   Psychosomatic complaints 26 40 statistically significant Emotional instability 50 49   Depression 31 55   Fatigue 37 54 statistically significant Hypermnesia concerning Holocaust events 63 84   Survivor guilt 36 42   Chronic anxiety 37 47   Difficulty in concentration 26 24   Anhedonia 39 50   The percentage of suffering from symptoms of survivor syndrome among child survivors today is more marked than after the war in most of the symptoms. Although elderly survivors suffer even today more than child survivors from these symptoms, the difference is less marked today than after the war. The reason for narrowing the gap of suffering between the two groups is due to the fact that, in child survivors, the grade of suffering increased in 9 symptoms compared to only 7 in the older group, and decreased suffering is found in only 3 symptoms in the group of child survivors as against 5 in the elderly. In both groups, we found decreased suffering from survivor guilt today as compared to the percentage of persons who suffered from this symptom after the war (see table 3). Elderly Holocaust survivors became more retraumatized by events like war, the intifada or terror acts than child survivors (81%-70%). The elderly survivors suffer more from illnesses connected with their experiences during the Holocaust than child survivors (60%-57%). There is a significant difference in suffering from disabling conditions not only connected with the Holocaust (56% in the elderly and 35% in the child survivors (P = 0.006). Coping and Adjustment Today There is a significant difference between the two groups as to continuing their work today (63% of the child survivors and only 33% of the elderly - chi-square 0.000). This finding is mainly age-related. Table 3: Suffering from symptoms of the survivor syndrome today. Comparison between elderly and child survivors (%) Symptom Child Survivors Elderly Survivors Remarks Nervousness 62 66   Insomnia 55 59   Nightmares with Holocaust content 46 62 statistically significant P=0.039 Headaches 40 42   Psychosomatic complaints 33 42   Emotional instability 50 42   Depression 42 42   Fatigue 59 65   Hypermnesia concerning Holocaust events 73 86 statistically significant P=0.038 Survivor guilt 28 38   Chronic anxiety 43 44   Difficulty in concentration 41 42   Anhedonia 38 50   76% of the elderly and 85% of the child survivors are still married. 16% of the elderly and 7% of the child survivors are widowed. 94% of the elderly and 92% of the child survivors have children. 90% of the elderly and 86% of the child survivors reported a warm atmosphere in their families today. More elderly survivors than child survivors married Holocaust survivors (69%-57%). About half the number of the two groups reported the influence of their Holocaust experiences on their children. The theme of the Holocaust comes up more frequently in families of elderly survivors than child survivors (86%-79%). The percentage of those who consider themselves still suffering from their experience during the Holocaust is higher in the elderly than in child survivors (74%-64%). There is no difference between the two groups in hobbies, in friendships and in affiliation to organizations of survivors. [Page 2 of 3]