Analysis of Intergenerational Trauma Transmission in Artificial Human Families: A Metaverse-Based Study of Complex Psychological Phenomena

Abstract

This study investigated the occurrence of intergenerational trauma transmission within artificial human families in metaverse. Using an artificial human generation platform, we created 24 replicated artificial human families consisting of parents with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression and psychologically normal children, along with 24 emotionally stable control families for the experiment. The results confirmed that intergenerational trauma transmission, similar to that in real human societies, can occur in artificial human societies as well. Children of parents with PTSD showed significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms compared to the control group, and negative effects were also observed in language use patterns and emotional expression. These findings demonstrate that complex psychological phenomena analogous to humans can occur in artificial human societies, providing important implications for the design and management of artificial humans in metaverse. Furthermore, this research presents a new methodology that can overcome the ethical and practical constraints of various psychological and psychiatric studies involving real humans.