Traumatic events can stick around in your mind for years. Researchers are finding that your trauma can even linger in your genes for generations.
That means that the pain and suffering we inflict on each other turns into misery our children and grandchildren will be dealing with. Even if they never directly experienced the trauma themselves.
Trauma Can Be Inherited Through Genetics
Researchers analyzed DNA from 48 Syrian families across three generations. The families included women who were pregnant during the 1982 Hama massacre or the 2011 Syrian uprising. The DNA samples, collected from individuals living in Jordan, revealed changes in their epigenetic markers.
They found that 14 big changes were not in their DNA sequences themselves, but in how the sequences function. Eight of these changes were passed down from grandparents to grandchildren, who had not experienced the violence firsthand. The modifications were linked to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and accelerated aging, which itself increases the risk of age-related illnesses.
Trauma Can Alter Your Genetics—and the Genetics of Future Generations
The study examined trauma from war, but the findings can be applied to any form of violence, like domestic abuse, sexual abuse, gun violence, or what have you. Violence sends ripple effects across generations, turning a personal problem into a family problem and then into a societal problem, especially when the violence affects people caught in the middle of a war.
One of the study’s authors, Connie Mulligan, said, “In the midst of all this violence we can still celebrate their extraordinary resilience. They are living fulfilling, productive lives, having kids, carrying on traditions.” She continued, “The idea that trauma and violence can have repercussions on future generations should help people be more empathetic, help policymakers pay more attention to the problem of violence.”
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