The transmission of intergenerational trauma and protective factors in survivors of the lebanese civil war and their adult offspring

Abstract

Background

The aim of the study was to examine the transmission of intergenerational trauma in survivors of the Lebanese civil war and their adult offspring. To examine potential mechanisms, it was hypothesized that the relationship between parental war exposure and offspring psychopathology was statistically mediated by (i) parental psychopathology and (ii) offspring exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE). Finally, it was predicted that spirituality and social support might buffer against the effects of adversity and therefore moderate the association between trauma exposure and psychopathology.

Method

An online questionnaire-based study was conducted, recruiting 110 dyads of parents who had lived through the Lebanese civil war and their post-war born adult offspring. Parental war exposure and trauma symptoms [with the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ)] and offspring adverse childhood experiences and trauma symptoms [with Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) and Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R)] were assessed. Both parents and offspring’s distress [with Beirut Distress Scale (BDS-10)], depression and anxiety symptoms [with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21)], perceived social support [with Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)], and perceived spirituality [with Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS)] were measured.

Results

Parental war exposure and offspring psychopathology were statistically mediated by parental psychopathology, but not ACE exposure. Offspring of parents with (vs without) high levels of psychopathology had 3.72 times higher odds of reporting high levels of psychopathology themselves. Findings showed that the correlation between trauma exposure and psychopathology was moderated by perceived social support and spirituality. However, the correlation was only significant for higher levels of social support and spirituality.

Discussion

These results suggest that the presence of the proximal risk factor "low social support” may affect psychopathology negatively no matter the amount of adverse experiences consistent with a recency model of adversity. If social support is at least moderate, the distal risk factor “adverse experiences/ war trauma” impacts psychopathology. Overall, these findings highlight the need for trauma-informed mental health support for people fleeing from or residing in countries with ongoing or recent armed conflicts.