1. By Claire Boyer and Tara Mah
Posttraumatic Growth in Survivors of
Intergenerational Abuse:
A Theoretical Model

2. Presentation Overview
● Literature Review
○ Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
○ Intergenerational nature of trauma
● Mechanisms of transmission
● Childhood abuse
● Mitigating factors
● Our Theoretical Model

3. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
● Recognized as a diagnosis in 1980 in the DSM-III
○ Harrowing events can have long-lasting negative
impacts on mental functioning
○ Traumatic events- threaten the safety of the
individual; cause extreme helplessness or horror
● First and only diagnosis to have an etiological agent
(O'Brien, 2004; Yehuda, 1999)

4. ● Traumatic events can impact a victim’s family beyond
a single generation transmission of trauma
○ Secondary traumatization
○ Other psychological disorders or disturbances
Intergenerational Trauma
(Lev-Wiesel, 2007)

5. Intergenerational Trauma
First Generation Trauma Second Generation Trauma
Genetics: DAT gene, low
baseline cortisol levels
Emotions: patterns of
communication, empathy,
emotion regulation
Behavior: child abuse (O’Brien, 2004; Lev-Wiesel, 2007; Abrams,
1999; (Davidson & Mellor, 2000; Yehuda,
Halligan, & Grossman, 2001; Levendosky,
Huth-Bocks, Semel, and Shapiro, 2002;
Wiseman, Metzl, & Barber, 2006; Siegel, 2013;
Whitsett, 2006)
Cognitions: negative
beliefs about the world,
low self-efficacy

6. Approximately 1/3of childhood abuse
survivors mistreat their own children
(compared to 1/25 of the general population)
(Egeland et al., 1988; Narang &
Contreras, 2005)

7. Parenting
● Social Learning Theory - children may develop abusive
tendencies by observing those of their parents
● Mothers who had been verbally or physically abused
were more likely to use authoritarian parenting tactics
Predict abusive
behavior
First generation abuse Authoritarian parenting Second generation abuse
○ Minimal warmth and affection
○ Hostile language
○ Spanking or slapping as discipline
(Dodge, Bates & Pettit, 1990; Schwerdtfeger
et al., 2013)

8. Attachment
First generation abuse Insecure attachment Second generation abuse
● Warm and sensitive caregiver leads to a secure attachment
Insecure attachment (fearful, preoccupied, dismissive)
Feelings of safety in relationships in adulthood
○ Linked to abusive parenting via
difficulties with emotion regulation
● Psychological abuse and neglect by caregiver
(Tummala-Narra, Liang, & Harvey, 2007; Briere, Godbout, &
Runtz, 2012; Karakus, in press; Egeland et al., 1988; Rodriguez &
Tucker, 2011)

9. What Mitigates the Cycle of Abuse?

10. Resilience
● Secure attachment
○ Safe, stable, nurturing relationships (SSNRs) are
associated with breaking the cycle of abuse
● Social Support
○ Reduces factors associated with increased abuse
potential (depression, anxiety, PTSD)
○ Directly buffers against the intergenerational
transmission of abuse in families
(Jaffee et al., 2013; Thornberry et al.,
2013; Folger & Wright, 2013; Dixon,
Browne, & Hamilton-Giachritsis,
2009)

11. Posttraumatic Growth (PTG)
(Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004)
“The experience of positive change that occurs as a result of the
struggle with highly challenging life crises”

12. PTG Model (Tedeschi & Calhoun,
1998)
Person pre-trauma Seismic event
Challenges in the aftermath of trauma
Rumination
Mostly automatic and
intrusive
Self-disclosure
Writing, talking, praying
Rumination more deliberate
schemata change
Narrative development
Social support
Models for schemas,
coping, posttraumatic
growth
Enduring distress Posttraumatic Growth

13. Our Theoretical Model
First Generation
Abuse
Risk Factors:
Parenting, Attachment
Second Generation
Abuse
Resilience
Posttraumatic
Growth

14. Preliminary Support for Our
Theoretical Model
● Survivors of childhood abuse exhibit themes of PTG
● Facets of PTG appear to moderate the relationship between
abuse history and abuse potential
○ Ex: Awareness, Integration of experiences, rumination, acceptance
(Woodward & Joseph, 2003; Easten,
Coohey, Rhodes, & Moorthy, 2013;
Hall, 2011; Egeland et al., 1988)

15. Conclusion
● Trauma can be transmitted intergenerationally through the
Cycle of Abuse
● Authoritarian parenting and insecure attachment can
predict the continuation of this cycle
● Resilience factors help mitigate
● PTG is an unexplored, yet potentially important factor in
breaking the cycle

16. Questions?