However, their children will witness the psychological distress caused by their parent's trauma. For example, a parent who experienced a sexual assault may not sexually assault their children. It's important to note that the way that trauma transfers generations doesn't always result in an exact replica of the original trauma. Studies show that "parents who experienced maltreatment in childhood may be at an increased risk of presenting abusive or neglectful behavior toward their own children." More examples of this are domestic abuse, sexual assault, and hate crimes. An example of this is the perpetuation of child abuse. Transgenerational trauma can occur from individual experiences as well. People who live through events like wars, violent political regimes, climate catastrophes, enslavement, and genocides are highly likely to experience some form of psychological stress and can pass it on to their children. While it can result from many different events, those who experience historical or collective traumas are particularly vulnerable. Since 1966, researchers have been exploring the effects and impact of transgenerational trauma. Rakoff observed that the children of Holocaust survivors were experiencing psychological distress and receiving psychiatric care for it in very high numbers.
It was first identified in 1966 by Canadian psychiatrist Vivian M. While transgenerational trauma may be ancient, the study of it is relatively new. These expressions of trauma can be passed to a new generation through learned behaviors. Potential symptoms are anxiety disorders, insomnia, or PTSD. Whenever a person experiences a trauma-no matter how big or small-there may be an emotional, mental, and physical impact. The American Psychology Association explains that the effects of this kind of trauma "are not only psychological, but familial, social, cultural, neurobiological and possibly even genetic as well." Trauma that is passed down through generations is called Transgenerational Trauma-sometimes referred to as Ancestral Trauma, Intergenerational Trauma, and Multi-generational Trauma. Coupled with our own experiences, we can see the potential impact that trauma has on a significant number of individuals across the globe. You could be experiencing PTSD symptoms or anxiety because of something your parents, grandparents, or ancestors endured during their lives. In other words, trauma can be passed down through generations. They can receive emotional distress from a trauma indirectly through their parents and community. That said, a person doesn't have to experience a traumatic event to adopt the symptoms and behaviors that result from it. That's a lot of people who have experienced a trauma just in their lifetime. The well-being of many people today is directly-or indirectly- impacted by trauma.Īccording to the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Alliance, roughly 70% of adults in the United States have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their lives.