A parent passes their DNA, their morals, and their habits to their children—but do they also pass down the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder? With about 28,000 military members (active duty, reserve, and civilian employees) living in Maryland, along with another 370,000 veterans, it’s a question likely on the minds of many residents. Of course, the military doesn’t have a lock on PTSD—it can affect anyone who has experienced a traumatic event or situation, from survivors of abuse to those who have suffered from car crashes, to people who have been diagnosed with life-threatening diseases. Devastatingly, recent research seems to indicate that yes, PTSD in a parent can affect a kid long after that child has grown up and left home.
A study published in Psychiatry Research earlier this year was the first long-term research focused on how a parent suffering from PTSD affects their children’s lives, doing so by looking at the lives of adult children of Holocaust survivors diagnosed with the disorder. Researchers found that these adult children exhibited more unhealthy behaviors and aged less successfully compared to survivors with no signs of PTSD or parents who did not experience the Holocaust. Examples of unhealthy behaviors seen in these adult children included smoking, drinking alcohol, and lack of exercise. This is the first time this type of research can truly be done because the children of Holocaust survivors are now middle-aged or older, so it’s easier to assess whether “ancestral trauma” lingers to affect the offspring’s aging process.
Resources for Surviving PTSD
If you’re worried that you ora family member may bestruggling with PTSD, don’thesitate to reach out for help.
Text “HOME” to 741741 to talk via text messages to a crisis counselor at the Crisis Text Line.
Call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Contact the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 1-800-273-8255 and pressing 1 or texting 838255.