![]() ![]() So won’t see the neurobiological changes that might see otherwise.”Īnisman added that supportive interactions during upbringing are particularly important for reducing the transmission of trauma to children. “If I have the right social support from the right people, those with whom I identify strongly, it can be a very powerful way of coping. In the case of intergenerational trauma, a source of these changes may lie in the support, or lack thereof, of the surrounding community. Identifying which environmental factors are specifically causing the epigenetic changes can be difficult, Anisman said. In a 2018 review, researchers at the University of Northern British Columbia concluded that an important relationship exists between intergenerational trauma, traumatic events, and epigenetics for residential school survivors and their families. For example, in a 2009 study, researchers found epigenetic changes in the brains of children who suffered traumatic child abuse, which increased their risk of committing suicide.Īs evidence began to mount that trauma led to epigenetic changes in an individual, researchers began to investigate whether these modifications might be passed from one generation to the next. There have been many studies that suggest traumatic events can cause epigenetic changes. If genes that protect someone from stress-related illnesses – for example, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder – are silenced by epigenetics, that person could be at increased risk for these mental illnesses. The same thing can be said for traumatic events, Anisman said. “Now, if that certain aspect of your gene is, the cancer is free to spread.” “For example, there might be certain aspects of a gene that protects you from cancer,” said Anisman. These modifications result in fundamental biological changes within the individual. Rather, chemical modifications to the DNA sequence result in some genes being silenced or being expressed in greater abundance than before. Hymie Anisman, a professor in the department of neuroscience at Carleton University.Įpigenetics is a process in which environmental factors change the expression of a person’s genes. The role of epigeneticsĪlthough there are many different processes by which intergenerational trauma can be transmitted, epigenetics is a prime candidate, explained Dr. ![]() Understanding how intergenerational trauma is transmitted at a genetic level has the potential to support the development of programs that could help people with intergenerational trauma overcome the past. Scientists are also investigating how an aspect of our biology called epigenetics plays a role in the passing of trauma through generations. Matheson said supporting the offspring of survivors by building stronger cultural support and identity is an important part of healing. According to the First Nations Information Governance Centre, 37.2 per cent of people who had at least one parent attend a residential school thought about committing suicide at some point in their life, compared to 25.7 per cent who did not have a parent attend. This process is called intergenerational trauma, defined as the transmission of the experience of trauma in one generation to negatively affect the wellness of the next. “Even though the next generation didn’t actually experience the trauma, they show many of the same behaviours, emotions, and mental wellness that one would see in someone who has experienced a trauma,” she said. Kim Matheson, a neuroscience professor at Carleton University who studies the social determinants of health in Indigenous populations. According to the First Nations Centre, residential school survivors are more likely to suffer mental health problems compared to those who did not attend.ĭecades after the last residential school closed, the trauma of survivors can continue to negatively affect their offspring, explained Dr. Most were exposed to frequent physical, sexual and emotional abuse. These government-led schools were created to assimilate Indigenous children into colonial society and to be ashamed of their culture and beliefs. From the 1870s to the 1990s, thousands of Indigenous children in Canada were forcibly removed from their homes and sent into the Indian residential school system. ![]()
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