The effects of parental unresolved trauma on second generation Cambodian Adolescents
- Författare
- Muong, S.
- Titel
- The effects of parental unresolved trauma on second generation Cambodian Adolescents
- Utgivningsår
- 2009
- Stad
- Palo Alto, California
- Utgivare
- Doctor of Philosophy Pacific Graduate School of Psychology
- Sammanfattning
In the Holocaust literature, considerable attention has been given to the psychological impact of Holocaust survivors' trauma on their offspring. There is some evidence to show that parenting styles and parent-child communication regarding the Holocaust are important mechanisms through which survivors' trauma affects the psychological adjustment of their offspring. The present study extends this work to a Cambodian context in focusing on intergenerational effects of trauma stemming from the Khmer Rouge regime. Specifically, the effects of parental unresolved trauma, in terms of the mother's PTSD symptoms, on second generation Cambodian adolescents were examined. Extrapolating from the findings in the Holocaust literature on second generation effects of trauma, it was hypothesized that the severity of the mother's trauma symptoms stemming from the Khmer Rouge regime would be predictive of her child's level of psychological distress, and that this relationship would be mediated by parenting style and parent-child communication. It was also predicted that the child's level of bicultural integration would serve as a protective factor in moderating the impact of the mother's trauma such that a child with a higher level of bicultural integration would be less negatively psychologically affected.