Since thousands of children have been detained and separated from their parents, many of us have been wondering about how this level of trauma will impact them in the future. Researchers looked at the lives of these families, and found that over one-fifth of the families interviewed had several traumatic experiences. It is thought that these experiences directly impact behavioral health, which then can be passed on to future generations int he family, traumatizing them as well.
Key Takeaways:
- According to a University of California study, childhood trauma can affect families for generations.
- These findings on traumatic early-life experiences could have behavioral and mental health implications for the numerous migrant children separated from their parents along the U.S. border.
- The UCLA study determined that parents who had experienced four or more traumatic events before age 18 were more likely to have kids with behavioral and emotional issues.
“Trauma in childhood echoes through generations, according to new research that could have implications for thousands of migrant children recently separated from parents at the U.S. border.”