#INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA SYMPTOMS FULL#

This response to trauma can occur both immediately after a traumatic event has occurred, and even several months, or years after that event.

#INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA SYMPTOMS FULL#

Onderko ( 2018) defines trauma as the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, causes feelings of helplessness, and diminishes their sense of self and their ability to feel the full range of emotions and experiences. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines trauma as “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury” (Trauma, n.d.). This violation of human rights in its most extreme form evokes trauma in millions of those who have been affected. Human history has witnessed some of the most violent displacements of people from their homelands, such as Jewish people from Germany, Arab communities from Palestine, Muslim Rohingyas from Bangladesh, Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir, and Tamilian refugees from Sri Lanka. The paper discusses these results and the implications of the study. It is interesting to note that though intergenerational trauma was numerically higher in grandchildren of Partition survivors, this difference was not significant ( p = .49).

The results indicated that both generations scored in the medium range, which was a notable level of intergenerational trauma. An independent samples t-test was used to assess the significance of the difference between the relevant groups, using SPSS version 27.0.1. Items from the Danieli Inventory for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma were administered to children and grandchildren of Partition survivors currently living in India. The present research was conducted to explore the phenomena of intergenerational trauma in the context of the Partition. Amidst this chaotic violence, people had no choice but to watch their lives take a turn they never expected it would and to survive with whatever lay ahead, for as long as they could. With this displacement came a life, if only temporary, where mass slaughter became a frightening reality.

With one single decision, millions of people became strangers in the lands of their own ancestors and pushed out to new, unfamiliar territory that they would have to spend the rest of their lives in. It was the largest mass migration recorded in human history. Limitations and future directions are discussed.Īdverse childhood experiences birth weight childhood household dysfunction childhood maltreatment infant functioning perinatal depressive symptoms.The Partition of India evokes tragic images of violence, separation, displacement, loss, and suffering. Regarding intergenerational associations, maternal childhood maltreatment directly predicted higher levels of maladaptive infant socioemotional symptoms, whereas maternal household dysfunction indirectly related to infant socioemotional symptoms through maternal age at first pregnancy and infant birth weight. Childhood maltreatment experiences, in particular, predicted higher postnatal depressive symptoms and a smaller reduction in depressive symptoms across the perinatal period. Maternal ACEs predicted higher levels of prenatal depressive symptoms. Mothers reported on infant socioemotional functioning at 6 months. Self-report measures of maternal depressive symptoms were obtained at both time points.

At the prenatal assessment, mothers completed an ACEs measure which assessed experiences of childhood maltreatment and household dysfunction. Participants completed a prenatal ( M = 4.84 months before due date) and postnatal ( M = 6.76 months after birth) assessment and provided birth outcome data. To address this gap, an at-risk sample of 398 pregnant women was recruited from Women, Infants, and Children health clinics. Less is known regarding how maternal ACEs relate to perinatal depressive symptoms or the intergenerational effect of maternal childhood trauma history on birth outcomes and infant functioning. Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood.

Intergenerational trauma symptoms