Fifty years later: How ego integrity and despair affect psychological reactions of older adult war veterans to the Israel-Hamas war

This study examined the contribution of aging-related factors (i.e., integrity and despair) reported six months before the October 7 terror attack on Israel (W1) as predictors of probable PTSD and clinical level of depression a month after the onset of the Israel-Hamas War (W2) among older adult Israeli Yom Kippur War veterans. A web-based survey company collected a random sample of 297 Yom-Kippur War veterans, aged 68–88, who participated in both waves. Respondents completed measures of event centrality, ego integrity, and despair in W1. Probable PTSD symptoms due to the Yom Kippur War and depression symptoms were collected in both waves. Probable PTSD symptoms due to the Israel-Hamas War were assessed in W2. Three univariate logistic regressions showed that beyond exposure to wars, W1 event centrality, and W1 probable PTSD or clinical level of depression, a higher level of W1 despair significantly increased the risk of W2 probable PTSD due to the Yom Kippur War and the Israel-Hamas War, and W2 clinical level of depression. Our finding suggests that when examining the outcomes of traumatic events among older adult veterans, it is crucial to account for late-life developmental processes.