Violence: Effects of parent's previous trauma on currently traumatized children

Abstract

(from the chapter) Examined the association of a parent's previous trauma with trauma in children in a clinical case examination of 2 groups of children, including a subsample of 48 children exposed to a sniper attack in south-central Los Angeles in 1984, and a sample of 24 5th grade children exposed to a hostage taking and suicide in Orange County, California, in 1987. The acute-phase clinical diagnoses and Childhood PTSD Parent Inventory of both groups of children were reviewed for the purposes of examining the issue of transgenerational trauma. In each sample, 50% of the children had parents with previous traumas and 50% had parents with no previous trauma. Results of the studies strongly suggest that children whose parent(s) are traumatized by violence or disaster may, in fact, be more likely to be subsequently traumatized and are at risk of experiencing increased symptoms following a traumatic event. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).