What parenting practices prevent the inheritance of trauma down generations?

What is it about?

Children of parents who experienced a traumatic event are at higher risk of mental health problems. This is through a phenomenon called the intergenerational transmission of trauma. The way in which a traumatized parent interacts with their child plays a critical role in whether trauma moves down to the next generation; however, it remains unclear which parenting practices are most protective in preventing transmission. This paper describes a planned study to gather all evidence on this topic and use a statistical approach to identify and assess which parenting practices are most powerful in perpetuating - and protecting against - the impact of trauma on future generations.

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Photo by Kelli McClintock on Unsplash

Photo by Kelli McClintock on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study will help researchers and policy makers develop parenting programs to most effectively prevent the intergenerational transmission of trauma in high-risk populations, such as communities impacted by war or genocide. Given that parenting programs can be affordable and scalable, this provides opportunity for feasible and large-scale impact, particularly in vulnerable low resource settings.