The impact of Transgenerational Trauma on Indigenous Populations of Australia
Transgenerational trauma is a psychological issue that is linked between different generations and it can be transferred between all the generations. This usually occurs when the first generation suffers from trauma, and they pass it to further generations. The children and offspring from the current generation get affected by the trauma that happens to them through complex post-traumatic stress disorder mechanisms. If the trauma from the older generation is not healed, then it can pass onto the other generations, which becomes a matter of concern because it affects the growth and development of the children who are not aware of such traumatic incidents. The children will have issues during attachment, will feel disconnected to their culture and extended families, and will go through excess stress when they are associated with their families and community members who are going through trauma. The ongoing trauma of the older generation creates a cycle of trauma, which becomes difficult to erase for future generations (Atkinson et al., 2014). The Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia is an example of transgenerational trauma because they have gone through the impact of the Stolen Generation. The people who survived during the Stolen Generation also had an impact due to institutionalisation. This made it difficult for them to nurture and care for their children because they denied the prospect to be developed by themselves. The tribal and cultural groups of the Aboriginal population have been impacted and influenced by the colonisation and economic backwardness in the past, which is still prevalent in the community. They require mental health interventions that will be in partnership with the consumers for mental health conditions. Therapeutic approaches will be discussed that will help in the healing and recovery of communities and individuals (Funston & Herring, 2016).
The Stolen Generations in the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander community has displayed several issues that included chronic health issues, social and economic disadvantage, and disability. The long-lasting impact of forced removal due to colonisation has impacted many aspects of life. Around 11% of the Aborigines who were born before 1972 were isolated from their families. Western Australia had around 24%, and South Australia had 16% of the Aboriginal population removed. Every one person in 7 Aborigines who were a part of the Stolen Generation is living with a profound or severe disability. The people who were forcibly removed from their families experienced a high rate of incarceration, high rate of dependence on government payments for their income, and the high rate of poor mental and physical health. The Aboriginal community is 1.9 times more likely to suffer or threatened physical violence and have been twice more likely to go through discrimination in the last year. This is not only applied to the Stolen Generation but also the people who are the descendants of the affected community. In the year of 2014-15, around 33% of the Aborigines descended from the generations that were removed, which is 114,800 descendants (Dudgeon, Watson & Holland, 2017). Aborigines of the age 18 and above who are the descendants of the families who were forcibly removed were associated with more hostile outcomes than the ones who had no past of forced removal. The descendants who were forcefully removed were also linked to high rates of stress, violence and discrimination in the last one year, and in total 34% of the population were reported with poor mental health. This is the reflection of transgenerational trauma that has been affecting the wellbeing of the indigenous population and the Stolen Generation. This also highlights the intervention of the government for the betterment of this population, such as the policies and legislations. This community has been affected in several aspects in all their lifespan such as mental health problems, suicide and self-harm, domestic violence, incarceration, and events that were linked to the trauma.
The Stolen Generation and Its Long-Lasting Effects on Physical and Emotional Wellbeing
The generations that is suffering due to the intergenerational trauma due to the historical events indulge into self-destructive behaviours has been vulnerable to and diagnosed with lifestyle diseases, and also associated with criminal activities. The various stages of life span such as childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age get affected according to the development theory that explains the psychological, biological, emotional and social development (Hassing & Quayle, 2019). Some of the theories such as Erikson’s psychological developmental theory, Bowlby’s attachment theory, Freud’s psychosexual developmental theory, Bandura’s Social Learning theory, and Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental theory helps in understanding the intricacy of the trauma that has occurred in the several age groups of this community. The cognitive development during childhood is affected by the trauma of the older generations, and the adolescents suffer from an identity crisis, social pressure and hormonal issues due to the stress of the people affected by this trauma in their community. Similarly, people in their adulthood go through unemployment due to the mental health issues they experienced in their adolescence, and the elderly population become more vulnerable to lifestyle diseases and mental health issues such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (Somerville et al., 2019). A child named Iris who is 12 years old was deeply affected by the past traumatic events of her life because she was separated from her mother and siblings as they were taken to the community on Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve. They were given notice two days before the incident, and Iris’s father was out of town, so when he returned, he saw his family was gone. This was the breaking point in Iris’s life, which affected her mentally in the later years. The Queensland government used to do this to the Aboriginal families, and the victims were expected to accept it as it was. The Cherbourg community suffered this torture as a normal basis. Iris was sent to Brisbane as a domestic worker when she turned 15 years old. The government did not consider the Aboriginal community capable of managing their financial calculations, which is the reason the Queensland government took the majority of her wages, and she only received a fraction of her wage. Such experiences made Iris and her family go through distress and pain because an action by the government separated them from their mother, partner and siblings (Bachem et al., 2018). This is a common scenario in the indigenous population of Australia, which is the major cause of intergenerational trauma, and the discrepancy caused by the government elevates the trauma leading to mental distress. The cycle of trauma starts from childhood, and the effect stays till the time that the individual turns old, which repeats in the next generation. Another aspect of intergenerational trauma is that children who bear witness to traumatic experiences in the past that were associated to their families and communities such as forced removals, colonisation, and other government policies have suffered maximum trauma, which has continued till the later stages of their life. Some of the trauma has occurred due to direct exposure such as family violence, neglect, child abuse, substance abuse, and harm, which is the result of trauma experienced by their caregivers or parents (Ferguson et al.,2016). The traumas included historical events such as massacre, slavery, dispossession, rape, and violence. The general opinion amongst the indigenous population shows that they are unable to forget the past trauma, and they believe that this trauma will pass onto the coming generations just like how they have been suffering due to the trauma passed by their previous generations. They regard such incidents as bad memories and express how their life is affected, and similarly, their children will also go through the same thing. The route of this trauma is through relationships that cause attachment, such as parents and siblings. The relational trauma experienced by parents has a major impact on the lifespan of individuals, which includes the inclination to trauma in future. People should be more aware of this transmission of trauma, and in the positive aspect, it is becoming more widespread than it was in the past. Van der Kolk stated that the most important aspect of mental health is feeling safe with others (Paradies, 2016). However, the issue with the indigenous population is that their cause of suffering rises from their family members. It becomes more traumatic because family members are the near and dear ones who save you from traumatic experiences, but with the Aboriginal community, it is the opposite. Such experiences inhibit their potentials and capabilities in the academic, professional and personal aspect. A film made by The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation depicted that it is a usual scenario to come across children who are a victim of abuse in society, and their parents were also a victim, including their parents. People avoid opening the can of worms to move on from the dilemma, but the cycle keeps ongoing. This traumatic experience has no end, and the people who are not directly affected by this situation do not take any action for the indigenous population who is already suffering. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a major trigger that affects the mental health of these individuals, but another reason for the intergenerational trauma amongst children is being brought up by parents who are already traumatised (Brothers, 2014). Several parents are already preoccupied with their trauma, which obstructs their behaviour towards their children. The parents are not emotionally stable or consistent with their thoughts, which affects the upbringing causing mental trauma to people in their childhood. The emotional development begins when a child is born, and the concept of forming attachment is related to the feeling of sense who is safe for them and who is not. The prevalence of disorganised attachment occurs when the child is not able to understand who they should trust, which is the reason they will become too attached to strangers, or they will not trust anyone. People realise that it is the effect of intergenerational trauma, which has to be prevented in the initial stages because it is the only solution for a safer society for the children (Waldram, 2014).
Therapeutic Approaches to Healing the Trauma of Indigenous Populations
The intergenerational trauma has affected the growth and prosperity of the indigenous community of Australia due to which the different stages of life span harmed these individuals. Interventions and implementations need to be a part of the government plan to break the cycle of trauma. This will include therapeutic approaches in partnership with consumers that will help in solving the issue of mental distress and disorders in the indigenous population who suffered due to past traumatic experiences. Therapeutic approaches can be utilised for the healing and recovery of the people who are affected such as cognitive behavioural therapy, which is suitable for children as it used in the past for school children (Rigby, Gair & Thorpe, 2016). This therapeutic intervention was used for Trauma in Schools (CBITS), and it can be modified for children according to their cultural and linguistic background. This is useful for people who have had PTSD and depressive symptoms, mostly focusing the youth and children. This includes issues such as historical injustice, coping through identity issues in the community, and trauma due to the traditional history, which is the reason for trauma for the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Psychotherapies reduce symptoms of PTSD in children and adolescents, which is not possible in the case of PTSD affected children who are not given the chance of therapeutic approaches. Another approach suitable for intergenerational trauma includes the family systems approach, which is done by family therapists (Hellsten, 2014). They work with children who have gone through the legacy of pain or intergenerational trauma, which also includes their parents and siblings. This approach allows them to treat trauma through assessing, intervening, and resolving patterns that propagate trauma. This approach focuses on family issues, which is the core factor of intergenerational trauma. If one family member is going through mental trauma, then it is necessary to examine all the members of the family because they might be the trigger or the leading cause of trauma for the whole family. This approach revolves around the concept of a family system, which is the foundation of society (Roy et al., 2014). The therapists will handle children, adults, and elderly people of the community who are most affected by the intergenerational trauma. Four strategies should be utilised by a family therapists includes, using culturally informed treatment, interrupting family communication patterns that are unhealthy, using trauma as a voice for the family, and teaching parents how to let their children dissociate. The aspects of training, education, knowledge, and other forms of treatment are used to progress in breaking the cycle of transgenerational trauma in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community (Duthie et al., 2019).
Challenges in Addressing Intergenerational Trauma in Indigenous Populations of Australia
More interventions that are taking place to address the effects of transgenerational or intergenerational trauma is through employment, education, housing, health, and sometimes incarceration. These interventions can be an impact when the healing needs of the individuals and community are addressed. The healing programs that are initiated emphasise more on the restoration, reaffirmation, and renewal of the sense of pride in the community through identification of culture, having a connection to the country, and being a part of the community. People overcome trauma only when the communities are encouraged and empowered to discover their issues and control their healing process, using programs with cultural knowledge, the building of awareness related to culture and having a sense of positive identity (Gillies et al., 2016). Some simple therapeutic approaches can be used such as educating the community about the effects of trauma in the later stages of their life, which includes making them understand that this trauma can pass off to people of the next generation. Front line professionals can give them training regarding the psychological effects of the trauma to them and the members of their family. People who work in Child Protective Services will understand that when they are dealing with a traumatised mother and a child, they should calm the mother first because the child starts having a soothing effect. This will help in reducing the traumatic effect of intergenerational trauma in families (O’Neill et al., 2018).
Conclusion
As a conclusion to this paper, it is necessary to summarise the key points that lead to the intergenerational trauma in the community of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia such as historical events, massacre, colonisation, and forced removal (Griffiths et al., 2016). The trauma that is faced by one generation is not only limited to that generation, but it follows the other generation that is coming after. The offspring, children, adolescents, adults, and people of the elderly group are also affected by the trauma they face due to their family members. When they are separated from their family or subjected to violence, then the negative impact can stay for years, affecting the wellbeing and prosperity of the individual. Unfortunately, this affects their children and other family members. The negative implication of intergenerational trauma makes an impact on a larger scale when it affects their employment, education, and cognitive development. This obstructs their participation if they are not taken for any healing or recovery process that includes therapeutic approaches.
References
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