by Rebecca Badeaux, UC Davis
By learning more about both trauma and how people cope,
scientists can improve support for aging adults. Credit: Oanh Meyer
As the United States reflects on the 50th anniversary of the end
of the Vietnam War this year, researchers from UC Davis and UC San Francisco
have uncovered major insight into the trauma and resilience of Vietnamese
Americans who fled the conflict and moved to America.
The powerful and timely research highlights the deeply personal
stories that Vietnamese Americans have hung onto for decades and that have been
overlooked in scientific literature.
More than 500 older Vietnamese Americans in the Sacramento region
and Santa Clara County participated in the study led by researchers from the
Vietnamese Insights into Cognitive Aging Program (VIP). Participants were over
the age of 65 and endured multiple traumas tied to war, displacement and
immigration.
Researchers at the onset knew they would hear about pain and
adversity, but were surprised to find strong themes of resilience,
resourcefulness and gratitude.
"We didn't go into the interviews expecting to hear about
strength or positivity. That wasn't even asked. But so many participants
brought up their own stories of luck, gratitude and resilience," said Uyen
Vu, a lead researcher at UC Davis Health. "It made us realize that to
understand how early trauma affects health later in life, we also need to look
at how strength and resilience might help protect against those effects."
The study —"War Trauma and Strength: A Qualitative Study of
Participants in the Vietnamese Insights into Cognitive Aging
Program"—is published in The
Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.
War trauma's effects on aging
Vu is a postdoctoral scholar in the Diversity and Disparities
Lab working under Oanh Meyer in the Department of Neurology. Vu says this
research brought her closer to her father, who had only shared bits about his
experiences a half century ago during the war.
Meyer, the senior author of the study, said personal experience
also drives her passion for this research. Her 89-year-old mother, Anh Le, has
dementia and possibly Alzheimer's disease. Le arrived in the U.S. in 1975 as a
Vietnam War refugee.
"We read about the 'Boat People' experience, but to hear
about it directly from those who lived it is incredible," said Meyer, who
is also a research education leader in the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease
Research Center. "It gives us a very clear picture of how it felt to leave
the only country you know and the risk people took in hopes of a better
life."
Two sides of the story: Pain and power
Participants shared searing memories of adversity and suffering,
including:
·
Life during war: Battle injuries, bombings and forced relocation.
·
Imprisonment: Years in "re-education" camps, hard
labor and surveillance post-release.
·
Boat escapes: Hunger, pirates and death at sea.
·
Refugee camps: Overcrowding, beatings and survival with limited
food and water.
·
Personal loss: Death of loved ones, loss of homes and stolen
possessions.
Even amid hardship, many showed fortitude and gratitude, such
as:
·
Mental strength: Acceptance, endurance and the will to survive.
·
Clever coping: Using skills, wit and resourcefulness to stay
safe and provide for family.
·
Thankfulness: Gratefulness for small mercies, such as surviving
a sea crossing, a short prison term or a helping hand from strangers.
"Trauma can impact anyone, but resilience can help buffer
those effects, especially as people age," Vu said. "That's why it's
important for interventions to recognize and build on the resilience people
already have, and in ways that are culturally appropriate and tailored to their
background."
A human story with broader implications
Vietnamese Americans are the fourth-largest Asian subgroup in
the U.S., yet little is known about how early trauma has shaped their aging
experience. These stories uncovered in the research offer one of the most
detailed looks at the civilian toll of the Vietnam War and refugee experience.
This study, the authors stated, helps us understand how early trauma can affect
brain health later in life.
But this study also found signs of strength, like resilience and
gratitude, which could help protect the brain. By learning more about both
trauma and how people cope, scientists can create better ways to support aging
adults, especially those who've lived through major adversity.
"We know that early life hardships can lead to problems
with physical, cognitive, and mental
health later on, especially in older Vietnamese adults.
Clinicians and providers can support these adults not just by monitoring for
these risks, but also by encouraging strengths like gratitude and resilience
that may help protect brain health," explained Meyer.
What's next
The findings will inform future phases of the VIP study,
including deeper exploration into how early trauma and late-life resilience
relate to cognitive aging and dementia risk.
VIP is a long-term research study to better understand brain
health and aging in one of the country's most overlooked populations when it
comes to trauma-informed aging research.
Researchers hope this work encourages more culturally responsive
care and better support for aging immigrant and refugee populations, especially
those who have lived through war, displacement or forced migration.
Credit of Medical Press