From fragments to identity: reminiscence, life review and well-being of holocaust survivors. An integrative review

Self-Transcendence as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Reminiscence Functions and Death Anxiety: Implications for Psychiatric Nurses

BACKGROUND

Jordan's population of older adults is growing due to improved health care and lifestyle, but the country has limited mental health care resources, causing challenges for the health care system. Reminiscence is a point of nursing intervention and a way for psychiatric nurses to help people improve their mental health by expanding their personal boundaries (self-transcendence).

AIMS

The study aimed to examine the mediating effects of self-transcendence on the relationship between reminiscence functions and death anxiety in a sample of Jordanian older adults. Psychiatric nurses can refine reminiscence therapy by targeting aspects of self-transcendence to reduce death anxiety.

METHODS

An online cross-sectional survey was employed to collect the data. A total of 319 older adults participated in the study. The sample was recruited using convenience and snowball sampling strategies through social media and personal contacts.

RESULTS

The reminiscence function of "Bitterness Revival," gender, the presence of a life-threatening disease, a history of psychiatric disorder, and the work sector were statistically significant predictors of death anxiety. This model accounts for 24% of the death anxiety score (F = 7.789, p < .001). Reminiscence functions 1, 2, and 5 predicted self-transcendence. This model explained 25% of the variance in the self-transcendence score (F = 6.548, p < .001). Self-transcendence exerts a positive, partial mediating effect between "Bitterness Revival" and death anxiety, controlling for other covariates in the death anxiety model (p = .016).

CONCLUSIONS

The study is informative for understanding the role of self-transcendence in buffering death anxiety, notwithstanding "Bitterness Revival" reminiscences. This knowledge reveals practical implications for psychiatric nurses about the importance of developing reminiscence interventions to promote self-transcendence and ease death anxiety.

The mediating role of religion and loneliness on the association between reminiscence functions and depression: a call to advance older adults' mental health

BACKGROUND

Current literature lacks evidence about the relationship between reminiscence functions and depression and the mediating role of clinical constructs such as loneliness and religion. The study aimed to examine the mediating effects of loneliness and religion on the association between reminiscence functions and depression in a sample of older Jordanian adults.

METHODS

An anonymous online cross-sectional survey was employed to collect data from 365 older Jordanian adults. Convenience and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit participants through social media.

RESULTS

In the depression model, Bitterness Revival and Intimacy Maintenance factors, educational level, and Intrinsic Religiosity were statistically significant predictors of depression. Bitterness Revival and Intimacy Maintenance factors, work sector, and Intrinsic Religiosity were statistically significant predictors of loneliness. Loneliness has a negative, partial mediating effect on Intimacy Maintenance and depression.

CONCLUSION

Depression caused by significant losses in the Arab Jordanian environment might be mitigated by Intimacy Maintenance by reducing feelings of loneliness. Understanding how Intimacy Maintenance correlates with depression through loneliness could help psychiatric nurses develop psychosocial interventions that reduce depression among older adults.

The resilience of Jewish communities living in the diaspora: a scoping review

Introduction

Throughout history, Jewish communities have been exposed to collectively experienced traumatic events. Little is known about the role that the community plays in the impact of these traumatic events on Jewish diaspora people. This scoping review aims to map the concepts of the resilience of Jewish communities in the diaspora and to identify factors that influence this resilience.

Methods

We followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. Database searches yielded 2,564 articles. Sixteen met all inclusion criteria. The analysis was guided by eight review questions.

Results

Community resilience of the Jewish diaspora was often described in terms of coping with disaster and struggling with acculturation. A clear definition of community resilience of the Jewish diaspora was lacking. Social and religious factors, strong organizations, education, and communication increased community resilience. Barriers to the resilience of Jewish communities in the diaspora included the interaction with the hosting country and other communities, characteristics of the community itself, and psychological and cultural issues.

Discussion

Key gaps in the literature included the absence of quantitative measures of community resilience and the lack of descriptions of how community resilience affects individuals' health-related quality of life. Future studies on the interaction between community resilience and health-related individual resilience are warranted.

Predicting Depression Among Spouses of Ex-POWs: The Contribution of Exposure to Violence, Trauma, and Stress Through the Life Cycle

The current longitudinal study focused on predicting depression among spouses of former Israeli war veterans (combat veterans or ex-prisoners of war [ex-POWs]). The research examined the direct and moderating role of secondary trauma related to their husbands' war-related experiences, stress related to being exposed to intimate partner violence in their relationship, being a second-generation Holocaust (SGH) survivor, and the effects of additional stressful life events (SLEs) since the end of the war. Wives of ex-POWs and combat veterans (N = 129) participated in two time measurements. Spouses of ex-POWs were found to be at higher risk of depression and psychological violence. Psychological violence was a risk factor for depression. The three-way interaction among psychological violence, being a SGH survivor, and experiencing SLEs was significant. In addition, experiencing earlier stressful events had a protective effect. The findings suggest that the association between early exposure and additive exposure through life is a complex iteration of factors and does not necessarily follow the vulnerability perspective.

The ten stories: Intergenerational transfer of values

RATIONALE

A troubling phenomenon for caregivers of elderly parents is their tendency to tell the same stories over and over. Repeated storytelling raises concerns about cognitive decline and memory loss and is often considered a disturbing harbinger of the possible onset of dementia.

PURPOSE

This research aims to show that repeatedly told stories are important vehicles for intergenerational transmission of values.

METHODS

Using a narrative inquiry approach, this research involved structured interviews with middle-aged adult children, asking them to tell us the stories they felt they were hearing or had heard repeatedly from their aging parent. Interviews were taped and transcribed, then coded for temporality, purpose and content.

RESULTS

Based on 126 stories told to 13 participants, it can be confirmed that there are approximately ten stories that older parents repeatedly tell to their adult children, mostly about experiences in their teens and twenties. The majority of the stories are told for the purpose of consolidating the elder's identity or sharing wisdom with the adult child. Key themes in the stories include seeking a better life, youthful fun, upholding standards, sticking together and doing what's right. These themes reflect the significant events and prevailing values of the early to mid-twentieth century.

CONCLUSION

This research offers a more constructive way for caregivers to hear the repeated stories told by their aging parents and to offer their loved one the gift of knowing they have been seen and heard.

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and coping with the lockdown among help-seeking veterans before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

AIM

To compare the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and of particular PTSD clusters among help-seeking veterans before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. The second aim was to identify the main coping strategies used.

METHODS

Male war veterans (N=176) receiving outpatient treatment at the Referral Center for PTSD were assessed at baseline (12-18 months before the pandemic declaration in March 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (March-June 2020). The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, and The Brief COPE were used.

RESULTS

Direct exposure to the virus in our sample was low, and the majority of participants followed the preventive measures. The severity of the overall PTSD symptoms and of clusters of symptoms significantly decreased compared with the first assessment. At the second assessment, all participants still fulfilled the PTSD diagnosis criteria. During the lockdown, the participants used emotion-focused and problem-focused coping rather than dysfunctional coping.

CONCLUSION

The severity of PTSD symptoms decreased during the lockdown. Further research is needed to study the trajectories of long-term psychopathology.

An Exploration of the Relationship Between Culture and Resilience Capacity in Trauma Survivors

Resilience capacity has been found to be associated with individuals’ flexibility and adaptability when dealing with adversity-related stress. Previous research suggested that resilience capacity may play an important role in moderating the relationships between exposure to traumatic events and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and cultural factors may be associated with that process. However, adequate research of the mechanisms on how culture may relate to the relationship between resilience and PTSD is still lacking. The present study attempted to explore potential mediators associated with the relationship between culture and resilience capacity among trauma survivors and focused on the potential mediating associations of cultural variables (independent/interdependent self-construal, dialectical thinking, and familism). Levels of culture-related variables among three cultural regions (America, Hong Kong, and Mainland China) were assessed and analyzed. The results of a bootstrapping analysis indicated that independent self-construal and dialectical thinking each significantly mediated the relationship between culture and resilience capacity. Cultural and clinical implications of these findings and suggestions for future research were explored.