Psychological trauma in older adults (Usually older than 60 years, not to be confused with geriatric trauma) is the overall prevalence and occurrence of trauma symptoms within the older adult population (the term psychological trauma thereafter referred to as trauma; for general information on psychological trauma, see psychological trauma). Although there is a 90% likelihood of an older adult experiencing a traumatic event, there is a lack of research on trauma in older adult populations. This makes research trends on the complex interaction between traumatic symptom presentation and specific older adult population considerations (i.e., aging process, lifetime prevalence of traumatic symptoms [otherwise known as lifetime trauma]) difficult to pinpoint. This article reviews the existing literature and briefly introduces the various ways psychological trauma impacts the older adult population (apart from the occurrence of elder abuse).
