Cumulative Trauma: The Intersection Between Continuous Security Threats and the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Israeli Older Adults

Introduction: Research on cumulative traumatic events and their consequences for older adults have yielded inconclusive findings, especially when the traumatic events are different types of events and happen simultaneously. Objective: To explore older adults’ perceptions of cumulative trauma, specifically exposure to continuous security threats via living in a war zone and COVID-19. Method: Seventeen in-depth, open-ended, and semistructured interviews were conducted with older adults living near Israel’s border with Gaza. We used ATLAS.ti software to perform thematic analysis. Results: Various perceptions of continuous security-related stress and COVID-19, indicative of categorical differences in the perceptions of the two, were found. Namely, the characteristics, difficulties, and emotions that accompanied each of the two abovementioned traumas revealed three trajectories: negative cumulative; positive cumulative; and unrelated. Conclusions: We suggest conceptualizing cumulative trauma responses as an intersecting trajectory model, between the effects of previous traumatic events and those of the current one, reflecting a combination of individuals’ resilience and vulnerability. Suitable policies/practices in which each specific traumatic event is seen alone, as well as in tandem with others, should be implemented.