Intergenerational transmission of trauma: the role of family and parenthood in post-traumatic growth

Abstract

Exploring intergenerational trauma shows us how first-generation traumatic experiences are transmitted and incorporated into the lives of their children and grandchildren, and what has helped with recovery and treatment. The presented research relates to the experiences of social and personal trauma from the time of the Second World War in Slovenia and in the post-war years, which were marked by the violence of the communist regime.

Processing trauma requires that the personal, vulnerable stories of traumatized individuals become heard and acknowledged. This processing is time consuming and takes place over several generations, with each having to do its part within this process.

In three consecutive generations of two families, we observed through personal stories how their members were able to integrate traumatic events into their family story in a way that allowed them to develop a more emotionally liberated and genuine attitude. In order to resolve the trauma, they were supported by well-developed personal and social resources, especially strong interpersonal ties, and a developed sense of coherence, where the feeling that they were able to make some sense out of their experience stands out. They also wanted to make their experience meaningful by knowing and spreading the (more) holistic truth about what was happening at the time of the traumatic experience, and passing on messages to their descendants about the power of survival, which also strengthened their sense of identity. The fact that they have managed, from the first generation onwards, to develop their experience into new opportunities, to strengthen their sense of personal power and interpersonal relationships, and to deepen their spiritual experience, points to their post-traumatic growth.