![]() 4 A third study showed that children whose mothers survived the Tutsi genocide during pregnancy were likelier to experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than children whose mothers hadn’t experienced that trauma. In another study, sons of Civil War soldiers who survived Confederate prisoner-of-war camps were likely to die earlier than sons of soldiers who weren’t captured or were placed in camps with better conditions. These higher stress levels may be passed on to descendants who didn’t experience that trauma themselves, as a 2015 study involving children of Holocaust survivors found. Experiencing severe trauma, for example, can cause you to produce higher levels of stress hormones in order to survive. Scientists and researchers don’t yet fully understand the epigenetic picture of generational trauma, but they have found evidence of the internal impact of trauma on future generations. We may then pass these tags along to our children and grandchildren. Much of epigenetics concerns whether certain genes have been turned “on” or “off.” Epigenetics and traumaĮpigenetic researchers believe traumatic experiences of all kinds may create tiny chemical tags that attach to our genes and influence how they function. ![]() 2Įpigenetics focuses on this process, looking at how experiences can affect gene expression and whether those changes can then be passed along. The code’s interpretation may differ depending on certain factors, such as your overall genetic makeup, your age, and whether you’ve been exposed to harmful substances. “Gene expression” happens when that code is read and put into action. Your DNA includes encoded instructions for cell production. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) describes epigenetics as “the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the ways your genes work.” 1 “Epi-” means “on top of” in Greek, so epigenetics can be thought of as the study of what’s happening “above” your genes. There appears to be some evidence that this happens, but more research is needed to confirm and clarify the process. The theory is that trauma can change the way our genes function, and those changes are then transmitted to future generations. The idea that trauma can also be passed down internally is the subject of ongoing research and debate. Some are external, such as financial difficulties or the behavior patterns a family develops in order to cope. Trauma can have deep consequences for later generations. It has been linked to a range of experiences, including: “Generational trauma” (also called “intergenerational trauma” or “inherited trauma”) is a term for traumatic impacts that are passed from one generation of a family to the next. ![]() We know that our genes are passed down from generation to generation, but do we also pass down the effects of trauma? There’s still much to learn about this possibility, but researchers have begun exploring how generational trauma can influence our lives. Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on LinkedIn Share this article on Messenger Share this article in email Copy the link to this article Print this article
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