Trauma results in deeply distressing experiences that significantly affect the lives of individuals. Trauma results from sustained stress and can dramatically alter an individual at the generic level, leading to the intergenerational manifestation of various responses to trauma, like having a genetic predisposition to developing stress and anxiety (Švorcová, 2023). Many researchers have explored the possibilities of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of traumatic experience, especially by focusing on the offspring of survivors who experienced traumatic events like the Holocaust (PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation., 2015). This paper will explore the different facets of trauma and its genetic effects and showcase the possibilities of hereditary epigenetic changes people inherit from parental trauma as well as highlight ongoing global that could affect future generations concerning hereditary trauma.
Effects of Trauma on Personal Life.
Trauma has long-standing effects that significantly affect an individual’s personal life. Trauma can dramatically impact an individual’s private life in various ways, especially concerning their prevailing emotional state. For instance, trauma is closely associated with multiple mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, anger, erratic behaviors, fear, and paranoia (Fondren et al., 2020). Such mental conditions make individuals develop antisocial disorders, affecting how they interact with others. Therefore, the traumatic experience derails their social skills, making them nervous in social situations, leading to antisocial behavior and significantly deteriorating the quality of life of leads. Trauma is also linked with constant flashbacks and a recurrent sensation of reliving the traumatic experience that manifests in established conditions such as post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) (Fondren et al., 2020). PTSD and other manifestations of trauma may turn an individual violent, making a menace to society should they go through a manic disorder. The manifestation of trauma affects the individual personal life as it derails their productivity, especially in social situations where they are likely to be considered as hazards. Trauma also messes up an individual’s emotions and perception, making them socially and emotionally incompetent when navigating situations in their personal lives (Fondren et al., 2020). Trauma and how it manifests profoundly affects the individual’s private life, especially in social situations.
Epigenetics and the Role of Stress in Epigenetics.
Epigenetics is a discipline that studies how behavior and the external environment can have profound effects on genes and how they work. Epigenetics highlights how specific alterations to chemical markers in the gene can affect it and its expression in both the individual and their offspring. Numerous factors can influence genes and how they express themselves in individuals. In the video by PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation., (2015), Dr. Rachel Yehuda’s study focuses on the chemical marker FKBP5 in the genes associated with stress (PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation., 2015). The research that focuses on Holocaust survivors shows that the generation that experienced the stress associated with traumatic events developed changes in the chemical markers.
Consequently, their offspring have similar changes. Therefore, the offspring also had a genetic predisposition to stress and anxiety, among other mental health and stress-related issues. Epigenetics shows that stress can influence the chemical markers of the gene associated with stress and profoundly affect how the next generation copes with stress atlas at a genetic level. Therefore, stress is a crucial factor in epigenetics as it can influence the genetic chemical markers of genes and eventually affect how future generations respond to trauma and stress (PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation., 2015). Stress has a significant genetic impact, making it an important consideration when studying epigenetics and intergenerational stress responses.
Generational Historical Generators of Stress.
Though many events in history could have caused stress-related changes to the next generation, the most profound example is the Holocaust. The Holocaust led to the deaths of millions of people, thus, in turn, affecting several million individuals in the next generation, making it one of the most viable avenues of acknowledging the epigenetic studies confirming the relationship between stress and genetic changes. In the video, Dr. Yehuda studies Holocaust survivors and their offspring and showcases the possibilities of epigenetics and the inheritance of various stress-related chemical changes to the genes (PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation., 2015). The video also features an interview with Karen Sonnenberg, a descendant of Holocaust survivors. In her interview, she admits to having problems struggling with stress, anxiety, and, at times, a social awkwardness that affected her childhood (PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation., 2015). From her testimony and the insights shared by Dr. Yehuda, it becomes apparent that major traumatic events like living through the Holocaust have profound impacts on the next generation, making them predisposed to experience several mental disorders, especially stress, anxiety, and depression (PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation., 2015). The research shows that the genetic markers associated with stress are profoundly impacted by the significant events, which in turn alters how the next generation responds to stress and the mental disorders they are likely to manifest.
Significance of Knowing Know How Children Will be Affected by Trauma Their Parents Experienced.
Epigenetics and its complementing disciplines are crucial because they can help identify how individuals will likely be affected by the trauma experienced by their parents. Knowing how children are likely to respond to intergenerational trauma is essential mainly because it creates avenues toward defining how they are likely to deal with such situations should they manifest. Effectively predicting how a child will be affected by trauma from their parents’ experiences can set a viable foundation on how they can cope with such situations. For instance, if research can effectively prove that such trauma makes children vulnerable to depression and anxiety. It, therefore, effectively informs all the relevant stakeholders on how they can adequately prepare the child to deal with such situations in the future should they manifest. For instance, the children can then be taught coping mechanisms to deal with depression early on in their childhood. Developing coping skills can help mitigate the severe impacts of depression and effectively prevent the continuation of gene distortion into the next generation. Therefore, the potential to better prepare children for the effects of hereditary trauma from their parents’ experiences makes epigenetic studies related to stress a significant undertaking. The stakeholders should find ways to elevate the studies to benefit future generations.
Ongoing Global Events that Could Produce Similar Effects in Future Generations.
Prolonged traumatic events such as wars have been established as having significantly profound effects on generations. Though not the magnitude of the Holocaust, there have been several ongoing modern wars that are likely to have a profound impact on the epigenetic status of the next generation when considering the discussion within the stress, trauma, and mental health issues for the next generation. Currently, two prominent wars that are likely to have profound effects on the next generation due to their longevity and impact are the war on the Gaza Strip and the Russia-Ukrainian war. The scale of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the profound effects of the Gaza Strip conflict involving Israel and Palestine make them some of the most prominent disputes of modern times (Chowdhury & Rosencranz, 2022). Given the significant advancements made in weapons and warfare, the devastation experienced by all the relevant stakeholders involved is likely to leave permanent impressions on one’s psyche. The children who experience the wars together with their parents are likely to experience prolonged stress and uncertainty exposure, similar to the Holocaust survivors. Therefore, they are also expected to experience similar changes in the chemical composition of genetic markers in the stress-related genes and thus have a likelihood to impact their incoming generations significantly.
In conclusion, stress and trauma have profound effects that can affect an individual at the personal level and also at the genetic level. At the personal level, the effects include disruptions to one’s social life, while at the genetic level, it affects the genetic markers in an individual’s genes. Prolonged exposure to stress or undergoing significant stressful situations such as surviving wars can expose an individual to profound stress that can affect them at the genetic level and consequently affect future generations. Knowing how children will be affected by the trauma their parents experience is crucial as it can help them prepare for future problems. Stakeholders should invest in research to help with such efforts.
References.
Chowdhury, A., & Rosencranz, A. (2022). Environmental fallout of the Ukraine war. The Statesman. https://pure.jgu.edu.in/id/eprint/3808/1/_Russia%20Ukraine%20Env-Delhi.pdf
Fondren, K., Lawson, M., Speidel, R., McDonnell, C. G., & Valentino, K. (2020). Buffering the effects of childhood trauma within the school setting: A systematic review of trauma-informed and trauma-responsive interventions among trauma-affected youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 109, 104691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104691
PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation. (2015, August 30). Can Trauma Be Passed to the Next Generation Through DNA? PBS Learning Media. https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/e9a3377e-ef0d-4815-8f25-166daa4d3114/can-trauma-be-passed-to-the-next-generation-through-dna/#.WZeOTNGQyM8
Švorcová, J. (2023). Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of traumatic experience in mammals. Genes, 14(1), 120. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/1/120
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