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 was statistically mediated by parental psychopathology, but not ACE exposure. Spirituality and social support showed moderating effects, but in opposite direction to what was hypothesized.

Discussion: hese results suggest that people with higher rates of psychopathology actively seek out social support or turn more towards spirituality. 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.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Jennifer Tarabay: orcid.org/0000-0001-7472-1036

ORCID for Dennis Golm: orcid.org/0000-0002-2950-7935

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