Intergenerational Trauma in Refugee Families: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Although a robust literature describes the intergenerational effects of traumatic experiences in various populations, evidence specific to refugee families is scattered and contains wide variations in approaches for examining intergenerational trauma. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria, the purpose of this systematic review was to describe the methodologies and findings of peer-reviewed literature regarding intergenerational trauma in refugee families. In doing so we aimed to critically examine how existing literature characterizes refugee trauma, its long-term effects on descendants, and psychosocial processes of transmission in order to provide recommendations for future research. The results highlight populations upon which current evidence is based, conceptualizations of refugee trauma, effects of parental trauma transmission on descendants’ health and well-being, and mechanisms of transmission and underlying meanings attributed to parental trauma in refugee families. Greater methodological rigor and consistency in future evidence-based research is needed to inform supportive systems that promote the health and well-being of refugees and their descendants.

Parental PTSD and school performance in 16-year-olds – a Swedish national cohort study

“…Our results are congruent with the findings of Daud et al [19] that offspring of Arabic speaking refugee parents with PTSD in Sweden scored lower on an IQ-test compared with offspring of Arabic-speaking parents without PTSD. As demonstrated in previous research, post-traumatic stress extends beyond the individual to family members and can be experienced as a common trauma in the family, where parents' reactions to traumatic experiences and the child's own perception of these experiences may affect the child's wellbeing and mental health [15]. Parental experience of traumatic stress may lead to a lack of consistency and stability in the family and has been associated with disconnected and insensitive parenting behaviour and harsh parenting styles [11,12,25,26].…”

“…This review also indicated an association between parental PTSD symptoms and parent-child functioning difficulties, such as communication problems and less positive parental engagement [14]. Another systematic review focusing on intergenerational effects of trauma in refugee families demonstrate that the effect on children was diverse but mostly negative [15]. The majority of studies showed that children in refugee families, where a parent suffers from psychological consequences after having experienced trauma, are at increased risk of adverse psychological outcomes and vulnerability to psychosocial stress, including posttraumatic stress, mood, and anxiety disorder symptoms, and at greater risk of abuse and neglect [15].…”

“…School performance in children of parents with PTSD was lower than in children of parents with major psychiatric disorders such as psychosis and bipolar disease, which was quite surprising given the severity of these conditions and the strong association between such parental psychopathology and children's adverse outcomes [9,10,[21][22][23]. Parental PTSD has previously been shown to have adverse effects on children's psychological distress and behavioural problems [13,15]. Thus, the children's own mental health problems could contribute to the lower than average school performance in offspring of patients with PTSD.…”

“…Another systematic review focusing on intergenerational effects of trauma in refugee families demonstrate that the effect on children was diverse but mostly negative [15]. The majority of studies showed that children in refugee families, where a parent suffers from psychological consequences after having experienced trauma, are at increased risk of adverse psychological outcomes and vulnerability to psychosocial stress, including posttraumatic stress, mood, and anxiety disorder symptoms, and at greater risk of abuse and neglect [15]. Children in families of traumatised torture victims have also been shown to display more symptoms of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, attention deficits and behavioural disturbances compared to children in the comparison group [16].…”

Didactic Dimensions to Ensure Refugee Minors’ Protection against Sexual Abuse within European Refugee Crisis

“…There is a considerable number of publications on psychological aspects and care management regarding displaced children (Joshi & Fayyad, 2015;Gaudichon et al, 2017), issues related to refugee child mental health and disorder from the angle of social justice (Chung et al 2008;Eytan et al, 2002;Nielsen et al, 2008), analysis of intergenerational trauma in refugee families (Sangalang & Vang, 2016).…”