Intergenerational PTSD and the necessity of treatment, it does not go away!

SSG Burns:

Every generation in my family has served, the genetic predisposition and the Children who live with a traumatized parent are influenced by the PTSD symptoms that the parent displays at home. The emotional instability that comes with PTSD becomes embedded in the child. Trauma can be passed from parents to their children (intergenerational transmission of trauma) and the children can start displaying the symptoms of PTSD as well (e.g., start having nightmares about the parent’s trauma, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, emotional numbness etc.). The research of secondary traumatization began with the study of children of holocaust survivors and with the years developed to other traumata. The most recent research suggest that PTSD can also be transferred genetically and not solely due to learned or psychological implications.

What should you do if your partner has PTSD? First of all gather information and educate yourself about PTSD and the possible impact of secondary traumatisation. Children who do not understand the symptoms may blame themselves for the parent‘s behaviour thus it is important to explain the symptoms to the child in his cognitive and maturity level. It is important for the child to understand that the symptoms have nothing to do with him but with a trauma that the parent has endured. If you don’t really know how or what to say, it might be useful to ask for the assistance from a child psychologist. It is important to be alert and observe the children and their emotional, psychological and behavioural reactions. Children who exhibit major changes may benefit from individual therapy or even group therapy where they can share their experiences, thoughts and emotions with other children of survivors.

Children who are continuously exposed to PTSD reactions (e.g. flashbacks) may find themselves taking part in the reenactment of the parent’s trauma. The parent re-experiences the trauma as if it is reoccurring in the present and has difficulty distinguishing between the past and the present. A child present at the time might find himself being pulled into that reenactment. Due to this re-enactment the child could start thinking, feeling and behaving as if it happened to him/her too. Identification is the last method of trauma transference. The over-identified child begins to share symptoms as a way of connecting or understanding the parent with PTSD better.