Overview
Aging and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) explores the psychological sequelae of severe trauma in elderly patients and the manifestations in old age of psychological symptoms secondary to trauma experienced earlier in life. Although methodological issues have made the scientific study of PTSD difficult, a number of well-designed research projects have begun to identify some of the key factors of aging and PTSD.
Do elderly patients respond differently to stress than younger people, and do the effects of early stress change over time? These questions are the focus of the book's 22 contributors. Research with World War II combat veterans, Holocaust survivors, elderly victims of trauma, and abused elderly persons provides new insight into why they might experience trauma differently than younger individuals. Longitudinal data collected over a 14-year period provide a fascinating comparison of psychological distress and PTSD among older and younger people.
American Psychiatric Publishing
The book contains black-and-white illustrations.
Editorials
Canadian Journal on Aging
[A] unique source of information and a basic reading, given the paucity of research in the area of post-traumatic stress disorder in older adults.
From The Critics
Reviewer: William Robert Van Scoy, MD(Rush University Medical Center)Description: This book explores the effects of trauma in the elderly as well as the sequelae of early life trauma in later years. Included are sections on early life trauma, late age trauma, and models of stress in the elderly.
Purpose: The authors seek to provide a review of the relevant literature on trauma and aging. Such information is often absent in other works on PTSD and this is, therefore, an exciting new resource for those caring for such patients.
Audience: Geared toward geriatric psychiatrists and general psychiatrists, this text would be useful to those in allied professions who work with the elderly and with victims of trauma.
Features: Much of the research data is presented in clear, highly usable graphs and tables. The index is detailed for a work such as this. The references are numerous, and the authors do justice to both classical and contemporary data sources.
Assessment: This book provides a thorough yet concise review of the research in this area of psychiatry. The chapters are generally clearly written, and the reader is provided a brief concluding chapter that summarizes the material presented. Other works on PTSD seldom address the differential responses to stress among different age groups, and they do not address the long-term sequelae of psychological trauma. I applaud the authors for this excellent effort. It fills a gap in the literature on PTSD, and I recommend it highly to those working with elderly victims of trauma.
William Robert Van Scoy
This book explores the effects of trauma in the elderly as well as the sequelae of early life trauma in later years. Included are sections on early life trauma, late age trauma, and models of stress in the elderly. The authors seek to provide a review of the relevant literature on trauma and aging. Such information is often absent in other works on PTSD and this is, therefore, an exciting new resource for those caring for such patients. Geared toward geriatric psychiatrists and general psychiatrists, this text would be useful to those in allied professions who work with the elderly and with victims of trauma. Much of the research data is presented in clear, highly usable graphs and tables. The index is detailed for a work such as this. The references are numerous, and the authors do justice to both classical and contemporary data sources. This book provides a thorough yet concise review of the research in this area of psychiatry. The chapters are generally clearly written, and the reader is provided a brief concluding chapter that summarizes the material presented. Other works on PTSD seldom address the differential responses to stress among different age groups, and they do not address the long-term sequelae of psychological trauma. I applaud the authors for this excellent effort. It fills a gap in the literature on PTSD, and I recommend it highly to those working with elderly victims of trauma.Booknews
The authors (both psychiatry, U. of Maryland) explore the psychological sequelae of severe trauma in elderly patients and the manifestations in old age of psychological symptoms secondary to trauma experienced earlier in life. Research with WWII combat veterans, Holocaust survivors, elderly victims of trauma, and abused elderly persons provides the basis for exploration of why they might experience trauma differently than younger individuals; longitudinal data provide a comparison of psychological distress and PTSD among older and younger people. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)3 Stars from Doody