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A brief discussion with a colleague, several months ago, set me on a road of discovery, one which has proven to be complex in terms of the multitude of information and research being reported and presented within the field of epigenetics in relation to the transmission of intergenerational trauma. The discussion in question had centred around a report, within mainstream media, of research into the transmission of intergenerational trauma in mice, conducted by Otaru et al. (2024, included in the abstracts below). The research findings had shown biological evidence of stress in early life affecting subsequent offspring and increasing the offspring's risk of developing psychiatric and cardiometabolic diseases across generations. Having been aware of the research by Painter et al. (2008, also included in the abstracts below) which found a link between mothers exposed to famine during pregnancy and their offspring's risk of chronic disease, my interest was ignited.
Intergenerational trauma (where trauma is an event in the subject's life defined by: its intensity, the subject's incapacity to respond adequately to it, and the upheaval and long-lasting effects that it brings about in the psychical organisation (Laplanche & Pontalis, 1988)) acknowledges that the exposure to extremely adverse events can impact individuals to such a great extent that the post traumatic symptomatology is experienced by subsequent generations. Intergenerational trauma (also referred to as historical trauma, multigenerational trauma, secondary traumatisation and transgenerational trauma) is a term that is widely accepted within clinical practice. It is also a term that appears to be accepted within the general population, thus taking it beyond the boundaries of clinical and research practice. Such is the breadth of is acceptance as a concept that the term is often used without explanation/definition.
The influence of past experiences on a parent's capacity to parent and the generational impact this