TY - JOUR
T1 - Proactive Aging among Holocaust Survivors
T2 - Striving for the Best Possible Life
AU - Elran-Barak, Roni
AU - Barak, Adi
AU - Lomranz, Jacob
AU - Benyamini, Yael
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 The Author(s).
PY - 2018/10/10
Y1 - 2018/10/10
N2 - Objectives: To investigate methods that older Holocaust survivors and their age peers use in order to maintain the best possible life and to examine associations between these methods and subjective well-being. Method: Participants were 481 older Israelis (mean age 77.4 ± 6.7 years): Holocaust survivors (n = 164), postwar immigrants (n = 183), and prewar immigrants (n = 134). Measures included sociodemographics and indicators of health and well-being. Respondents were asked to answer an open-ended question: What are the methods you use to maintain the best possible life?'. Answers were coded into eight categories. Results: Holocaust survivors were signifcantly less likely to mention methods coded as 'Enjoyment' (32.3%) relative to postwar (43.7%) and prewar (46.2%) immigrants and signifcantly more likely to mention methods coded as 'Maintaining good health' (39.0%) relative to postwar (27.9%) and prewar (21.6%) immigrants. Controlling for sociodemographics and health status, Holocaust survivors still differed from their peers. Discussion: Aging Holocaust survivors tended to focus on more essential/fundamental needs (e.g., health), whereas their peers tended to focus on a wider range of needs (e.g., enjoyment) in their effort to maintain the best possible life. Our fndings may add to the proactivity model of successful aging by suggesting that aging individuals in Israel use both proactive (e.g., health) and cognitive (e.g., accepting the present) adaptation methods, regardless of their reported history during the war.
AB - Objectives: To investigate methods that older Holocaust survivors and their age peers use in order to maintain the best possible life and to examine associations between these methods and subjective well-being. Method: Participants were 481 older Israelis (mean age 77.4 ± 6.7 years): Holocaust survivors (n = 164), postwar immigrants (n = 183), and prewar immigrants (n = 134). Measures included sociodemographics and indicators of health and well-being. Respondents were asked to answer an open-ended question: What are the methods you use to maintain the best possible life?'. Answers were coded into eight categories. Results: Holocaust survivors were signifcantly less likely to mention methods coded as 'Enjoyment' (32.3%) relative to postwar (43.7%) and prewar (46.2%) immigrants and signifcantly more likely to mention methods coded as 'Maintaining good health' (39.0%) relative to postwar (27.9%) and prewar (21.6%) immigrants. Controlling for sociodemographics and health status, Holocaust survivors still differed from their peers. Discussion: Aging Holocaust survivors tended to focus on more essential/fundamental needs (e.g., health), whereas their peers tended to focus on a wider range of needs (e.g., enjoyment) in their effort to maintain the best possible life. Our fndings may add to the proactivity model of successful aging by suggesting that aging individuals in Israel use both proactive (e.g., health) and cognitive (e.g., accepting the present) adaptation methods, regardless of their reported history during the war.
KW - Holocaust survivors
KW - Open-ended question
KW - Proactive aging
KW - Successful aging
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85054713895&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/geronb/gbw136
DO - 10.1093/geronb/gbw136
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AN - SCOPUS:85054713895
SN - 1079-5014
VL - 73
SP - 1446
EP - 1456
JO - Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
JF - Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
IS - 8
ER -