EXPOSURE TO WAR AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE ELDERLY IN KUTINA AND PETRINJA

Istraživanjem je obuhvaćeno 200 osoba starije životne dobi, od 60 godina i više, na području Sisačko-moslavačke županije, odnosno gradova Petrinje i Kutine, tj. zajednica koje su bile «više» i «manje» izložene ratnim događajima. U istraživanju se nastojao ispitati odnos i struktura gubitaka starijih osoba koje žive u zajednicama koje su bile različito izložene ratnim događajima na doživljaj kvalitete života, te povezanost izloženosti stresu i kvalitete života starijih, uz osvrt na socio-demografske korelate ispitanika. Pokazalo se da obje skupine ispitanika žive osrednje, ni osobito dobro, ni osobito loše, pri čemu ispitanici iz Kutine procjenjuju da žive ipak nešto bolje, kvalitetnije. Pokazalo se da su stariji u progonstvu, a sada i u situaciji povratništva suočeni s brojnim gubicima i izvorima stresa, od kojih su najznačajniji gubitak doma i dosadašnjeg načina života. Kao najveće poteškoće ističu neizvjesnu budućnost i prisilnu promjenu životnih navika. Kumulativnim djelovanjem različitih stresora pojačava se osjećaj straha od neizvjesne budućnosti. Prisilne slike i dosjećanja na sve što su doživjeli od početka rata, pogoršano zdravlje i psihička napetost dodatno otežavaju ponovnu prilagodbu.The research included 200 elderly people, from the age of 60 upwards, on the territory of the County Sisačko-Moslavačka, more precisely, the cities Petrinja and Kutina; that is, communities that were “more” or “less” exposed to war events. In the research an attempt was made to examine the relationship and structure of the loss of the elderly who live in communities that were differently exposed to the war events, a self-assessment of the quality of life, and the connection between exposure to stress and the quality of life of the elderly, with emphasis on socio-demographic correlates of the examinees. The results of the analysis show that both groups of examinees live average-quality lives, neither particularly good, nor particularly bad. However, the examinees from Kutina, who were less affected by war, admit having a better-quality life. The research has also shown that the elderly, during exile, and even now, have been faced with numerous losses and sources of stress, the most significant ones being loss of their home and previous way of living. They perceive as their greatest problem the uncertainty of the future and forcibly changed life habits. Cummulative effects of different stressors increase the feeling of fear toward the uncertainty of the future. Unwanted images and recollections on all they have experienced since the beginning of the war, deteriorated health and psychological anxiety make readjustment more difficult