Transgenerational trauma: Perceived parental style, children’s adaptational efforts, and mental health outcomes in second generation and third generation holocaust offspring in Hungary.

Abstract

The intergenerational impact of genocide has been studied in various contexts, however, the mechanisms of trauma transmission remain unclear. The present study aimed to better understand the relationship between parental trauma and offspring mental health by exploring mechanisms of trauma transmission in the children (n = 599) and grandchildren (n = 311) of Holocaust survivors (HS) in Hungary. In a cross-sectional online survey study, we used the paradigm developed by and Danieli, Norris, Lindert, Paisner, Kronenberg, et al. (2015) to assess HS parental styles (i.e., parenting impacted by efforts to cope with past traumatic experiences), as reported by offspring participants, as well as participants' reported level of adaptational impact, that is, their efforts to cope and adapt, and current mental health symptoms posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, complex PTSD [C-PTSD], anxiety, depression). We found differences in parental styles reported by generation; however, the mechanism of how it impacted offspring mental health was similar. Mediation analyses showed that more intense parental styles were associated with higher adaptational impact, which, in turn, was related to more mental health symptoms, in both generations. This is the first study to apply the Danieli paradigm in a third-generation sample and the first to assess the psychological impact of the Holocaust in an Eastern European country (Hungary), using systematic quantitative assessment. Our findings highlight the Holocaust's continued impact on the third generation, and the importance of raising awareness of the impact of collective traumas through educational programs, enhancing culturally sensitive and transgenerational trauma-informed mental health services, and fostering tolerance and diversity in public policy. Public Policy Relevance StatementGenocides, such as the Holocaust, have long-term psychological impact, not only on survivors but also their offspring. This study found that Holocaust survivor parents parental style as reported by their children was related to their children's efforts to cope, which together lead to elevated mental health symptoms in both children and grandchildren of survivors. Results imply the importance of developing and increasing access to culturally sensitive and transgenerational trauma-informed mental health services to enhance resilience in both survivor parents and their offspring.