– What is inter-generational trauma, and how could people who have never experienced a conflict be affected by it via their parents?

Question

– What is inter-generational trauma, and how could people who have never experienced a conflict be affected by it via their parents?

In: 10

Answer 1

Biochemist here. One of the big emerging fields in Genetics is the study of epigenetics. Epigenetics are multi-generational changes in gene expression as a result of environmental influences. In short, your DNA today is demonstrably different because your grandmother went hungry during the great depression.

Environmental stress, emotional stress, poverty, malnutrition, and many other factors can cause epigenetic changes to your DNA. On a physical, genetic level environmental factors change gene expression.

These aren’t changes to the genetic sequences themselves, but are little tags placed on the DNA that changes how often it is read. These changes, called methylations, fade away after 3-4 generations.