The Psychological Impact of Trauma

The National Geographic published an article suggesting that trauma can be acquired from parents who experienced trauma. It is only available to their subscribers: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/trauma-genes-inherit-epigenetics-methylation

Damien Stewart, a Psychologist who studies intergenerational trauma, provides the following view:

Whilst research continues regarding whether there is a genetic dimension to Intergenerational Trauma transmission, the research is not yet 100% convincing. Evidence suggests that genes might be damaged within populations that suffer from Intergenerational Trauma, however, a damaged gene does not necessarily lead to symptomology that reflects the presence of Intergeneration Trauma.

When people are traumatised, a lot of cortisol and other hormones are released into the blood stream and when they are elevated for extended periods, at the very least, inflammatory responses can occur in the body leading to un-explained pain in PTSD sufferers. Other research I have read suggests that the mother has to be traumatised just before conception or during pregnancy for the potential genetic effect to take place. The idea of the male passing it on is less convincing.

What is far more likely is that the parent who is traumatised, passes on trauma through their parenting. A traumatised parent is less likely to be loving and warm than a non-traumatised parent. Traumatised parents preach negative views about the world and how we can’t trust people and better to stay home where it is safe than go out into the world which is unsafe. Traumatised parents can become alcoholics or drug users which can further impair parenting. Also, people who are traumatised tend to act in misunderstood ways, emotional, crying out in their sleep. Often people who are traumatised are quick to anger and rage and can be violent. If a child grows up under such circumstances they can be highly affected, both taking on their parents views of the world as well as living in fear and having difficulty forming relationships themselves.

We are looking at how a lack of social or societal acknowledgement of initial trauma does not allow for the processing of trauma in the first generation and in combination with unresolved trauma, leads to the transmission in the following generations. This is what we believe happened in Poland. When the Soviets took over, people couldn’t talk about their WWII experiences out of fear of execution or persecution. In fact it is actually all being talked about now and we therefore found the 4th generation to be more traumatised than their parents or grandparents which was unexpected.

Damien has also published a paper on the subject: ‘Social acknowledgement and posttraumatic stress symptoms in response to historical trauma in Poland’

See also:

Repatriation of POWs

Academic papers regarding POWs