Examining intergenerational transmission of trauma among Lao American families using the Transmission of Trauma scale

• In Event: Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Topic - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Abstract

South East Asian (SEA) immigrants in the United States face significant psychological distress due to their exposure to violence and trauma prior to migration due to persecution or war. Pre-migration, many SEA immigrants experienced structural and physical violence and trauma that include loss of home, economic hardship, discrimination, separation from family, detention, and torture (Phapphayboun, 2003; Zhou, 2003). Studies have found that exposure to trauma has lingering effects on mental health. This impact of pre-migration traumatic experiences and post-migration structural violence exposure on SEA immigrant children has not been well studied (Kirmayer at al., 2011. Trauma exposure increases engagement in behavioral risk taking, social dysfunction, and impairment in interpersonal relationships, which has subsequent intergenerational impact (Field, et al., 2013). Furthermore, how socialization about parental trauma history impacts family processes and the mental health outcomes of the offspring is not well understood. Using a newly developed measure on the transmission of trauma, this study examines the effect of parents’ traumatic experiences on familial processes and how this may subsequently impact the mental health status of their young adult offspring.

Methods
This study examined cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 233 Lao American young adults (Mean Age 26.65 Female 56.7%). To validate the Transmission of Trauma (TOT) scale, exploratory factor analyses (EFA) identified the underlying factor structure of young adult reported parental socialization of past trauma history. Correlations among factors tested the survey’s validity, specifically the extent to which beliefs of lived experiences of mental distress overlapped with existing measures of family conflict and family process. Last, path analyses examined the interrelations between mental health symptoms, family processes, and intergenerational transmission of trauma.

Results
Results from the EFA indicated that 6 factor solution demonstrated an adequate fit. The 6 factors identified are: Socialization of past trauma, Observing the effects of parental trauma, Avoidance of sharing past trauma, Transmission through comparison, Desensitized to parental trauma, and Silence about past trauma. All factors significantly correlated with the Asian American Family Conflict scale and the total score for the Family of Origin scale. Lastly, path analyses was conducted to examine interrelations between the TOT factors of Avoidance of sharing past trauma, Desensitized to parental trauma, and Silence about past trauma, family process and young adult mental health, indicating a good model fit (χ_24^2 = 27.45, p = .03; CFI = .969; TLI = .938; RMSEA =.06).

Conclusion/Implications
Our results suggest that the Transmission of Trauma scale is a valid and reliable measure of parental socialization of trauma experiences for Laotian American young adults. Further, the salience of the socialization of parental trauma in its relations to the mental health of offspring, highlights the importance of better understanding the pathways of how trauma effects are transmitted across generations. Our findings have significant implications for intervention, particularly the need for interventions to consider how trauma is transmitted within the familial context and how they impact the mental health outcomes of young adults.

Authors

• Miwa Yasui, University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author

• Eunseok Jeong, University of Chicago
  Presenting Author