The Texture of Traumatic Attachment: Presence and Ghostly Absence in Transgenerational Transmission

Salberg, Jill

doi:10.1002/j.2167-4086.2015.00002.x

Cited by 54 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Padykula and Conklin (101) state that interpersonal trauma affects the capacity for emotional regulation negatively, because the emotional subsystem is predicated upon incongruent mirroring. Salberg (133) puts this very well: “It is because of attachment’s primal aspect in our psyches that trauma and its impact constitute massive disruption and disorganization of the parent–child bonding system. When trauma revisits us transgenerationally through disrupted attachment patterns, it is within the child’s empathic attunement and bond that the mode of transmission can be found.” In this respect, Brothers (134) refers to the concept of “traumatic attachment,” profoundly affecting parent–child interactions over generations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mothering, Substance Use Disorders and Intergenerational Trauma Transmission: An Attachment-Based Perspective

2019

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Background: A growing body of research underlines that interpersonal trauma in childhood leads to heightened susceptibility for substance use disorders (SUDs) in later life. Little research has been conducted on parenting experiences of mothers in recovery from substance use, taking into account their own upbringing as a child and the potential aftermath of interpersonal childhood trauma. Methods: Through in-depth qualitative interviews, 23 mothers with SUDs reflected on parenting experiences and parent-child bonding, related to both their children and parents. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were analyzed adopting thematic analysis. Results: Throughout the narratives, consequences of trauma on mothers’ sense of self and its subsequent impact on parenting arose as salient themes. Five latent mechanisms of intergenerational trauma transmission were identified: 1) early interpersonal childhood trauma experiences in mothers; 2) trauma as a precursor of substance use; 3) substance use as a (self-fooling) enabler of parental functioning; 4) continued substance use impacting parental functioning; and 5) dysfunctional parental functioning and its relational impact upon offspring. Discussion: Findings suggest disruptive attachment can increase the vulnerability for SUDs on the one hand, but can be an expression of underlying trauma on the other, hence serving as a covert mechanism by which trauma can be transmitted across generations. Results indicate the need for preventive, attachment-based and trauma-sensitive interventions targeted at disruptive intergenerational patterns.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mothering, Substance Use Disorders and Intergenerational Trauma Transmission: An Attachment-Based Perspective

2019

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“…The uniqueness of intergenerational trauma therefore lies in its existence as a relational process. Rather than an event or events, intergenerational trauma is both an antecedent and outcome of traumatic attachment (Salberg, ). It may be best conceptualised as the genetic or learned transmission of vulnerability and adaptations to circumstance (Forrest‐Perkins, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preventing intergenerational trauma transmission: A critical interpretive synthesis

Isobel

Goodyear

Furness

et al. 2019

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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Aim and objective: To synthesise and critically interpret literature of relevance to intervening in intergenerational transmission of relational trauma within parentinfant relationships. Background: Intergenerational trauma is a discrete process and form of psychological trauma transmitted within families and communities. Intergenerational trauma can be transmitted through attachment relationships where the parent has experienced relational trauma and have significant impacts upon individuals across the lifespan, including predisposition to further trauma. Design: Critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) was used. CIS is an inductive qualitative process that generates new theory grounded within reviewed literature. Methods: The review commenced by systematically searching for literature on interventions for intergenerational trauma. As the core theoretical construct emerged, elements that may contribute to preventing intergenerational trauma were identified iteratively and influenced further searching. In the final synthesis, 77 articles were included from the fields of intergenerational trauma, trauma interventions and attachment interventions. The review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Results:The key construct is that prevention of intergenerational trauma transmission is the key intervention. The two contributing constructs were identified as "resolving parental trauma" and "actively supporting parent-infant attachment." Conclusions: Prevention is the most effective intervention approach for intergenerational transmission of trauma. Prevention requires trauma-specific interventions with adults and attachment-focused interventions within families. Preventative strategies need to target individual, relationship, familial, community and societal levels, as addressing and preventing trauma requires a multipronged, multisystemic approach. Relevance to clinical practice: Systematic trauma-informed attachment-focused interventions in health and social service settings are recommended. There are opportunities to provide multifocal individual and relational interventions within existing services that work with parents to help prevent the likelihood and impact of transmission of intergenerational relational trauma within families. Nurses are well | 1101 ISOBEL Et aL.

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“…Several mechanisms have been described to explain the intergenerational transmission of parental traumatic experiences to offspring [15–17]. One possible mechanism could be the consequences on attachment patterns [15], as some studies indicate that attachment patterns seem to be a primary mode of trauma transmission [18, 19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intergenerational transmission of war-related trauma assessed 40 years after exposure

et al. 2019

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Background The intergenerational transmission of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from parent to offspring has been suggested in the literature, but this is highly controversial. We aimed to study the association between veterans’ war exposure and lifetime PTSD and the psychological characteristics of their respective offspring, 40 years after war-related trauma. Methods Forty-four adult offspring of veterans with PTSD and 29 offspring of veterans without PTSD were included in the study, from a total of 46 veterans. War exposure intensity, lifetime PTSD, and the general psychopathology (with Brief Symptom Inventory—BSI) of the veterans were studied, as were childhood trauma, attachment, and the general psychopathology (with BSI) of their offspring. Results Veterans’ war exposure was associated with BSI in the offspring with regard to somatisation ( β = 0.025; CI 0.001, 0.050), phobic anxiety ( β = 0.014; CI: 0.000, 0.027), Global Severity Index (GSI) ( β = 0.022; CI 0.005, 0.038), and Positive Symptom Distress Index ( β = 0.020; CI 0.006, 0.033). The fathers’ GSI mediated only 18% of the effect of the veterans’ total war exposure on offspring’s GSI. Fathers’ war exposure was associated with offspring’s physical neglect as a childhood adversity, although non-significantly ( p = 0.063). None of the other variables was associated with veterans’ war exposure, and veterans’ lifetime PTSD was not associated with any of the variables studied. Conclusions The offspring of war veterans showed increased psychological suffering as a function of their fathers’ war exposure intensity, but not of their fathers’ lifetime PTSD. These results could be used to suggest that mental health support for veterans’ offspring should consider the war exposure intensity of their fathers, and not just psychopathology. This could spare offspring’s suffering if this mental health support could be delivered early on, after veterans return from war.

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The Texture of Traumatic Attachment: Presence and Ghostly Absence in Transgenerational Transmission

Cited by 54 publications

References 34 publications

Mothering, Substance Use Disorders and Intergenerational Trauma Transmission: An Attachment-Based Perspective

Mothering, Substance Use Disorders and Intergenerational Trauma Transmission: An Attachment-Based Perspective

Preventing intergenerational trauma transmission: A critical interpretive synthesis

Intergenerational transmission of war-related trauma assessed 40 years after exposure

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