Aging and Trauma in Older Yenish (Swiss Travelers): An Explorative Qualitative Study

Purpose: This qualitative study explores how cultural factors influence the perception of aging, older people, and traumatic experiences in the Yenish community in Switzerland. The Yenish are an ethnic minority with a traveling lifestyle who were targeted by a Swiss governmental youth care foundation scheme called "Kinder der Landstrasse” (Children of the Countryroad) from 1926 to 1973, which forcibly removed children from their families to eliminate their traveling lifestyle. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten older (M=62.9) and six younger (M=34.33) Yenish to explore old age and trauma in the Yenish community. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed according to thematic analysis. Results: The study's findings indicate that older Yenish individuals are viewed very positively in the Yenish community, with respect, honor, and admiration for their survival and valuable life experience. Only the physical aspects of aging were viewed negatively. Furthermore, the findings suggest that not only did the older generation of Yenish, who were directly impacted by Kinder der Landstrasse, experience trauma, but also that the younger generation inherited the trauma through narratives and an overly cautious and fearful upbringing.Conclusions: There is evidence that the Yenish community suffered a historical trauma which should be acknowledged and addressed in the mental health field and in Swiss society.