University of Copenhagen; DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture.
Al-Quds Open University.
Transcult Psychiatry. 2019 Apr;56(2):398-427. doi: 10.1177/1363461518824430. Epub 2019 Jan 31.
Style of family communication is considered important in the transgenerational transmission of trauma. This study had three aims: first, to identify the contents of family communication about past national trauma; second, to examine how parents' current war trauma is associated with transgenerational communication; and third, to analyze the associations between transgenerational communication and children's mental health, measured as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and psychological distress. The study sample consisted of 170 Palestinian families in Gaza Strip, in which both mothers (n = 170) and fathers (n = 170) participated, each with their 11-13-year-old child. Mothers and fathers responded separately to three questions: 1) what did their own parents tell them about the War of 1948, Nakba?; 2) what did they tell their own children about the Nakba?; and 3) What did they tell their own children about the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and military occupation? Current war trauma, as reported separately by mothers, fathers and their children, refers to the Gaza War 2008/09. Children reported their symptoms of PTSD, depression, and psychological distress. Results revealed seven communication content categories and one category indicating maintaining silence about the traumas. Fathers' high exposure to current war trauma was associated with a higher level of communicating facts, reasons, and meanings regarding the1948 and 1967 wars, and mothers' high exposure to current war trauma was associated with a lower level of maintaining silence. Family communication about facts, reasons, and meanings was significantly associated with children not showing PTSD and marginally with not showing psychological distress, while maintaining silence was not associated with children's mental health.
家庭沟通方式被认为在创伤的代际传递中很重要。本研究有三个目的：首先，确定家庭对过去国家创伤的沟通内容；其次，考察父母当前的战争创伤如何与代际沟通相关；最后，分析代际沟通与儿童心理健康之间的关系，以创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）、抑郁和心理困扰来衡量。研究样本包括加沙地带的 170 个巴勒斯坦家庭，其中母亲（n=170）和父亲（n=170）都参与了研究，每个家庭都有 11-13 岁的孩子。母亲和父亲分别回答了三个问题：1. 他们的父母告诉他们关于 1948 年战争、纳克巴的事情；2. 他们告诉自己的孩子关于纳克巴的事情；3. 他们告诉自己的孩子关于 1967 年阿以战争和军事占领的事情。母亲、父亲和孩子分别报告的当前战争创伤是指 2008/09 年的加沙战争。儿童报告了他们的 PTSD、抑郁和心理困扰症状。研究结果显示了七种沟通内容类别和一种表示对创伤保持沉默的类别。父亲高暴露于当前战争创伤与更高水平的沟通有关，包括关于 1948 年和 1967 年战争的事实、原因和意义；母亲高暴露于当前战争创伤与维持沉默的水平较低有关。家庭对事实、原因和意义的沟通与儿童不表现出 PTSD 显著相关，与不表现出心理困扰有一定相关，而保持沉默与儿童心理健康无关。
