International study of the perceived stress and psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on Holocaust survivors
Objective: The terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023 in southern Israel had a significant impact on the mental health of Holocaust Survivors (HS), who are considered to be particularly vulnerable to traumatic events. The aim of the study was to assess the severity of perceived stress and the psycholog...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Psychotraumatology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20008066.2024.2428025 |
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| author | Bruno Halioua Patrick Bantman Rachel Rimmer Eric Ghozlan Muriel Vaislic Dan Halioua Fabienne Amson Charles Taieb Richard Prasquier Jean-François Gutthman Robert Ejnes Stéphanie Dassa Alexis Astruc Marc Cohen Samuel Sarfati Marc Fohlen-Weill Odile Namia-Cohen Aline Deutscher Jonathan Taieb |
| author_facet | Bruno Halioua Patrick Bantman Rachel Rimmer Eric Ghozlan Muriel Vaislic Dan Halioua Fabienne Amson Charles Taieb Richard Prasquier Jean-François Gutthman Robert Ejnes Stéphanie Dassa Alexis Astruc Marc Cohen Samuel Sarfati Marc Fohlen-Weill Odile Namia-Cohen Aline Deutscher Jonathan Taieb |
| author_sort | Bruno Halioua |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: The terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023 in southern Israel had a significant impact on the mental health of Holocaust Survivors (HS), who are considered to be particularly vulnerable to traumatic events. The aim of the study was to assess the severity of perceived stress and the psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on HS.Methods: The study was conducted from 30 October to 15 December 2023 among HS who were contacted through HS support organisations (OSE, Aloumim). They completed a questionnaire consisting of four sections: socio-demographic data and experiences during the Holocaust, assessment of psychological stress using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), feelings of isolation, health consequences, and reactions to the 7 October attacks.Results: 171 HS completed the questionnaire with 61 males (35.7%) with a mean age of 86.6+/−4.4 years (min 79–max 97). 59.6%, lived outside Israel, mainly in France. The mean score on the PSS-10 was 17.7 +/−6.0 on a scale of 5 to 40. The average PSS 10 score is not significantly higher in cases of age ≤90 years (18.0 ± 6.0 vs 15.7 ± 6.4, NS), or for those living in Israel (17.2 ± 5.3 vs 18.1 ± 6.6, NS). About a quarter reported feelings of isolation or loneliness following the attacks. The impact of the 7 October attacks was particularly significant among those living outside Israel. Approximately two-thirds felt that the events had rekindled memories of their Holocaust experiences, and nearly one-third observed a decline in their health since the attacks. Among survivors living outside Israel, 86.6% expressed concern about the future safety and identity of their children and grandchildren as Jews.Conclusion: Identifying Holocaust survivors (HS) who are experiencing psychological distress is crucial to providing them with appropriate therapy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-54bc01d626fd4ee2acf43a8bf9e99af6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2000-8066 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Psychotraumatology |
| spelling | doaj-art-54bc01d626fd4ee2acf43a8bf9e99af62025-02-03T17:04:44ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEuropean Journal of Psychotraumatology2000-80662025-12-0116110.1080/20008066.2024.2428025International study of the perceived stress and psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on Holocaust survivorsBruno Halioua0Patrick Bantman1Rachel Rimmer2Eric Ghozlan3Muriel Vaislic4Dan Halioua5Fabienne Amson6Charles Taieb7Richard Prasquier8Jean-François Gutthman9Robert Ejnes10Stéphanie Dassa11Alexis Astruc12Marc Cohen13Samuel Sarfati14Marc Fohlen-Weill15Odile Namia-Cohen16Aline Deutscher17Jonathan Taieb18Holocaust Survivors Research Group AMIF, Paris, FranceHolocaust Survivors Research Group AMIF, Paris, FranceFondation de la Mémoire de Shoah, Paris, FranceOSE, Paris, FranceHolocaust Survivors Research Group AMIF, Paris, FranceUniversité Paris Sorbonne, Paris, FranceOSE, Paris, FranceEmma clinic, Fontenay sous Bois, FranceHolocaust Survivors Research Group AMIF, Paris, FranceOSE, Paris, FranceCommission Mémoire du CRIF, Paris, FranceCommission Mémoire du CRIF, Paris, FranceHolocaust Survivors Research Group AMIF, Paris, FranceOSE, Paris, FranceHolocaust Survivors Research Group AMIF, Paris, FranceUniversité du Québec Religion Studies Montréal (UQAM), CanadaAloumim, Tel Aviv, IsraëlAloumim, Tel Aviv, IsraëlHolocaust Survivors Research Group AMIF, Paris, FranceObjective: The terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023 in southern Israel had a significant impact on the mental health of Holocaust Survivors (HS), who are considered to be particularly vulnerable to traumatic events. The aim of the study was to assess the severity of perceived stress and the psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on HS.Methods: The study was conducted from 30 October to 15 December 2023 among HS who were contacted through HS support organisations (OSE, Aloumim). They completed a questionnaire consisting of four sections: socio-demographic data and experiences during the Holocaust, assessment of psychological stress using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), feelings of isolation, health consequences, and reactions to the 7 October attacks.Results: 171 HS completed the questionnaire with 61 males (35.7%) with a mean age of 86.6+/−4.4 years (min 79–max 97). 59.6%, lived outside Israel, mainly in France. The mean score on the PSS-10 was 17.7 +/−6.0 on a scale of 5 to 40. The average PSS 10 score is not significantly higher in cases of age ≤90 years (18.0 ± 6.0 vs 15.7 ± 6.4, NS), or for those living in Israel (17.2 ± 5.3 vs 18.1 ± 6.6, NS). About a quarter reported feelings of isolation or loneliness following the attacks. The impact of the 7 October attacks was particularly significant among those living outside Israel. Approximately two-thirds felt that the events had rekindled memories of their Holocaust experiences, and nearly one-third observed a decline in their health since the attacks. Among survivors living outside Israel, 86.6% expressed concern about the future safety and identity of their children and grandchildren as Jews.Conclusion: Identifying Holocaust survivors (HS) who are experiencing psychological distress is crucial to providing them with appropriate therapy.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20008066.2024.2428025Holocaust survivorstrauma7 October attacksstresspsychological distressAtaques del 7 de Octubre |
| spellingShingle | Bruno Halioua Patrick Bantman Rachel Rimmer Eric Ghozlan Muriel Vaislic Dan Halioua Fabienne Amson Charles Taieb Richard Prasquier Jean-François Gutthman Robert Ejnes Stéphanie Dassa Alexis Astruc Marc Cohen Samuel Sarfati Marc Fohlen-Weill Odile Namia-Cohen Aline Deutscher Jonathan Taieb International study of the perceived stress and psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on Holocaust survivors European Journal of Psychotraumatology Holocaust survivors trauma 7 October attacks stress psychological distress Ataques del 7 de Octubre |
| title | International study of the perceived stress and psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on Holocaust survivors |
| title_full | International study of the perceived stress and psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on Holocaust survivors |
| title_fullStr | International study of the perceived stress and psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on Holocaust survivors |
| title_full_unstemmed | International study of the perceived stress and psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on Holocaust survivors |
| title_short | International study of the perceived stress and psychological impact of the 7 October attacks on Holocaust survivors |
| title_sort | international study of the perceived stress and psychological impact of the 7 october attacks on holocaust survivors |
| topic | Holocaust survivors trauma 7 October attacks stress psychological distress Ataques del 7 de Octubre |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20008066.2024.2428025 |
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