Toward a Multi-level Approach to the Study of the Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma: Current Findings and Future Directions

Overview

Journal Dev Psychopathol

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Specialties Psychiatry
Psychology

Date 2024 Mar 22

PMID 38516836

Authors

Marjorie Beeghly

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A central goal in the field of developmental psychopathology is to evaluate the complex, dynamic transactions occurring among biological, psychological, and broader social-cultural contexts that predict adaptive and maladaptive outcomes across ontogeny. Here, I briefly review research on the effects of a history of childhood maltreatment on parental, child, and dyadic functioning, along with more recent studies on the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Because the experience and sequelae of child maltreatment and the intergenerational transmission of trauma are embedded in complex biopsychosocial contexts, this research is best conceptualized in a developmental psychopathology framework. Moreover, there is a pressing need for investigators in this area of study to adopt dynamic, multi-level perspectives as well as using developmentally guided, sophisticated research methods. Other directions for research in this field are suggested, including the implementation of collaborative interdisciplinary team science approaches, as well as community-based participatory research, to increase representation, inclusion, and equity of community stakeholders. A greater focus on cultural and global perspectives is also recommended.

Citing Articles

Integrating data science and neuroscience in developmental psychopathology: Formative examples and future directions.

Hanson J, Kahhale I, Sen S Dev Psychopathol. 2024; 36(5):2165-2172.

PMID: 38769837 PMC: 11579249. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579424001056.

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