An exploration of the intergenerational transmission of historical trauma in Vietnamese Americans

Currently, there is a lack of in-depth research examining the phenomenon of transmission of trauma among Vietnamese refugees and the impact of their traumatic experiences on their children. The purpose of this study is to measure total trauma (this term will be discussed in greater detail in the dissertation) reported by a group of Vietnamese refugees by (a) determining the nature and extent of trauma they have suffered, (b) understanding the effects of the traumatic experience on their psychological well-being, (c) exploring whether and in what ways the individuals in this group have passed on this trauma to the next generation, and (d) in what specific ways the trauma has affected their children.;Participants in the present study were 37 Vietnamese refugee couples and their children [a total of 74 participants] living in Southern California. This researcher sent out a call for participants via e-mail to personal and professional contacts and a newspaper ad in the Vietnamese newspapers Nguoi Viet and Vien Dong. Participants completed a survey sent to them by postal mail, and a quantitative correlational approach was used in analyzing the data.;This study found low trauma symptomology, anxiety, and depression amongst both parents and children: typically, they reported that they experienced these symptoms "not at all" and/or "a little." Only 2 parents (5%) and no children scored above a clinical threshold for PTSD as designated by the HTQ. Additionally, 29% and 26% of parents respectively scored above clinical thresholds for anxiety and depression, compared respectively to 5% and 22% of children. The current study also found that the total number of trauma events parents reported correlated significantly and positively with their DSM trauma score. Regarding transmission of trauma, no correlation was found between parental trauma and children's trauma; rather, a correlation was discovered between parental reported depression and children's reported depression. Moreover, children's perceptions of their parent's depression were also related to the children's symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and depression. Children who said their families did not discuss trauma stories regularly reported less depression than those who did.