Echoes of Genocide: Transgenerational Trauma

Genocidal events have consistently left profound psychological scars on affected populations, resulting in a legacy of trauma that persists through successive generations. Public mental health research has progressively acknowledged the importance of recognizing and comprehending the long-term effects of such violence and atrocities on minority communities. Investigations are increasingly demonstrating that trauma is not isolated to direct survivors, but rather transmits intergenerationally, impacting descendants who did not experience the events directly themselves. However, despite growing evidence of these transgenerational psychological impacts, there remain significant gaps in understanding exactly how mechanisms of trauma transmission occur, and how they influence community resilience, coping strategies, and overall mental health outcomes.

This Research Topic aims to enhance understanding regarding the psychological aftermath of genocides within minority populations from a transgenerational perspective. Specifically, it seeks to explore mechanisms through which trauma is transferred across generations, identifying factors that either aggravate or alleviate its psychological consequences. The central research questions include: How do communities narrate and communicate experiences of genocide across generations? What psychological vulnerabilities and strengths emerge within communities affected by historical trauma? Additionally, it seeks empirical data on the effectiveness of public mental health interventions that mitigate long-standing psychological distress stemming from past genocidal violence.

To gather further insights in the field of public mental health concerning the transgenerational effects of genocide, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Mechanisms underlying transgenerational trauma transmission within genocidal contexts.

o Community narratives and collective memory in shaping psychological responses in subsequent generations.

o The role of sociocultural and familial contexts in mediating or exacerbating psychological distress following genocide.

o Empirical evaluation of psychological interventions and mental health support programs tailored for historically traumatized minority populations.

o Qualitative and quantitative explorations of coping strategies and resilience among descendants of genocide survivors.

o Ethical considerations in investigating and addressing transgenerational trauma.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: transgenerational trauma, genocide, genocidal events, psychological impact, intergenerational transmission

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.