Effect of the Early Traumatic Experience on the Mental Health of the Elderly

Lee, Kwang Hun; Lee, Jung Hoon; Lee, Jong Bum; Park, Byung Tak; Cheung, Seung Douk

Abstract

This study was intended to analyze the relation between the psychic traumatic experience and the psychological health of the aged. The authors carried out this study by means of the combined anxiety-depression scale (CADS) and the preadolescence traumatic experience scale (PTES) with 278 aged men and women residing in Taegu from September to October 1988. The results were as follows: 1. Based on the scores evaluated by CADS, the scores of the both groups showed that comparative group was accounted for 40.15±6.19, while the experimental group for 57.75±6.37, which showed significantly higher score in the experimental group (p<0.001). 2. The experimental group showed significantly higher early experience score than the comparative group in the dietary difficulty, alcoholism among family members, disunion between husband and wife, trouble between mother and children, early mother loss, parent's indifference and unwanted birth (p<0.001). 3. The experimental group showed higher early experience score than the comparative group by sex, age, marital status and grown location (p<0.001). 4. When the subjects were included in the unemployed and in the middle or low classes and their parents were engaged in agriculture and commercial business and believing in buddhism or no-religion, showed higher experience score (p<0.001).