Definition + Studies

According to Martin Rovers, who is part of the faculty of human sciences at St. Paul’s University, generational trauma is defined as “a secondary form of trauma that results from the transfer of traumatic experiences from parents to their children. This form of trauma is also referred to as intergenerational, transgenerational, or secondary trauma.” (Rovers 94). Generational trauma can “result from any number of different types of disturbing incidents or experiences. This form of trauma may be derived from such tragic events as atrocities of war and domestic violence” (Rovers 94). Historical trauma has been linked to a range of health issues among populations, including higher rates of mental health disorders, substance abuse, as seen commonly in There There, and chronic diseases. Multiple studies have proven the existence of generational trauma, showing its impact on family well-being and mental health. For example, Beckham (1997) and Bernstein (1998) investigated the postwar effects of trauma in combat veterans and prisoners of war, revealing that traumatic symptoms disrupted negatively affected family dynamics. In another study, Yehuda et al. (1998) found that children of “Holocaust survivors had greater vulnerability to PTSD and other psychiatric disorders compared to a demographically similar control group” (Rovers 95). This was because of the parents' traumatic experiences, showing that trauma can be transmitted across generations. Specifically, children were “less able to externalize aggression than those whose parents had not endured such trauma” (Rovers 95). 

Additionally, I found a source that discusses the impact of settler colonialism on Indegenous people. The main impacts of colonization are historical loss, historical consciousness, and intergenerational or multigenerational trauma. Historical trauma affects health beyond contemporary stressors like family violence, marital problems, and major life stressors (Walls and Whitbeck, 2011). Research on Natives found that higher historical trauma is associated with increased substance use, mediated by higher levels of self-reported discrimination and racism. Additionally, "colonization and racism are often paired in discourse, with the assumption that colonization precedes and causes racism against Indigenous peoples" (Paradies 84). These studies show that such historical experiences affect victims' mental health. In particular, we can see these similarities within characters in There There, which I will be analyzing in the next few pages.