Transgenerational Transmission of Resilience : After Catastrophic Trauma

Traumatic events are quite common; the lifetime prevalence is 71% among the general population.

 The fear, grief, social isolation, and loss associated with COVID-19 are all potentially traumatic. The ongoing pandemic makes the study of resilience mechanisms after catastrophic experience all the more timely, since what is true for the pandemic experience may be true for any traumatic experience that causes long-term isolation and helplessness. Based on the epigenetic mechanisms that promote transgenerational transmission of resilience, a growing body of research points the way to promising clinical and public health interventions.

By applying what we are learning about the potential biopsychosocial mechanisms for transgenerational resilience, we can begin to design interventions to promote resilience, study their relative effectiveness, and implement them accordingly.