“Go back home!” “Where are you from?!” “China Virus!” If you are a member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, chances are these words are all too familiar and send a chill down your spine. While we are now on the ‘other side’ of the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact will be felt far and wide for generations leading to intergenerational trauma — unless we do something to stop it first.
What is Intergenerational Trauma?
Intergenerational Trauma
American Psychological Association
The transmission of trauma or its legacy, in the form of a psychological consequence of an injury or attack, poverty, and so forth, from the generation experiencing the trauma to subsequent generations.
Also referred to as “generational curses,” the term intergenerational trauma is often brought up in order to explain the development of many mental health issues stemming from trauma experienced by previous generations. This form of trauma flows through families from one generation to the next and can impact mental health.
The generation that was directly impacted by the traumatic experience (those of us who lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, for example) can pass down the trauma to future generations — even if the future generations did not experience the initial trauma themselves. Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are impacted by this trauma and can then be passed down to the next generation.
How it Happens
Let’s look at a hypothetical situation. So say we have a teenager who is the great grandchild of an immigrant or refugee that fled their country of origin due to war and conflict. Their great grandfather experienced the intense trauma of war, violence, threats of death or near death experiences, and scarcity of rations. All of these are traumatic events.
Eventually, the teen’s great grandparent sought refuge in another country. Although now safe, their great grandfather struggled to cope with their past trauma and turned to substance use. He also reacted to any conflict or danger with yelling and violence — both survival skills learned during the war. Observers of their father’s actions and behaviors, his children (including our teen’s grandmother) learned to cope using substances and, later in life, she also fell into the same pattern. She passed what she learned onto our teen’s father. As a result, our teen — the great grandchild of the person who actually experienced the trauma of war — also struggles with the same issues and poor coping skills as their great grandfather.
The Golden Child
One way intergenerational trauma can also affect future generations is through parenting styles. In many AAPI households, the firstborn child often takes on additional sets of responsibilities and expectations (aka the “golden child”). Some of these expectations can include maintaining household responsibilities, excelling academically and socially, and being an additional parent/support system to their younger siblings and other family members.
The “golden child” experience increases the likelihood stress and anxiety while dealing with the strict expectations set by their parents. Additionally, children can sometimes find themselves in caretaking roles that are outside of what is appropriate for their age. This can cause the child to become “parentified.” Parentification is defined as a child who assumes the roles and responsibilities equal to an adult member of the family. This often happens when adult family members are unable to fulfill their roles and responsibilities.
The Impact on Family Dynamics
Family dynamics can also be impacted through intergenerational trauma and are multi-layered. For example, if an individual has experienced a lack of resources and/or financial hardship, they may work excessively. Their goal being to not only to pay for living expenses, but to provide a sense of security in order to reduce the lingering anxiety from living with resource scarcity.
Now, when one or more family members are working in excess, they are also taking away time from their family. This can cause a breakdown in building important bonds with children and others. So, while one generation experienced poverty, their children may yearn for more quality time with their parents. Some children may “act out” to get their needs met, while others may keep to themselves about how they feel, otherwise known as “internalization.” Either can impact their ability to build healthy relationships throughout their lives including. They then pass down their experience to the next generation and so on.
A Vicious Cycle
The examples above are all results of intergenerational trauma. Intergenerational trauma becomes a vicious traumatic and toxic cycle when the experiences of abuse, neglect, and/or toxic messages are repeated from generation to generation WITHOUT any prevention/intervention or healing.
IMPORTANT: Every culture is unique. Some types of discipline may be thought of as excessive in one culture, while completely normal in another. It is important to remember and understand the importance of cultural traditions. At the same time, staying up-to-date laws regarding child abuse and neglect is crucial.
While we cannot change the past, it IS possible to stop the cycle of intergenerational trauma and prevent it in future generations. Community support and resources play an important role.
The COVID-19 Impact
The recent pandemic has impacted every single person on earth in one way or another. However, some communities and individuals have felt the COVID impact greater than others — including the AAPI community. The “end” of the pandemic, does not mean the end of its impact on people across the globe.
During the height of the pandemic, hate crimes against people in the AAPI community increased dramatically. Asian Americans were often blamed for the pandemic due in part to the virus’s theorized origins in China. Incidents experienced by the Asian American community ranged from being yelled at to physical attacks (Liu & Modir, 2020).
According to Tiwari & Zhang (2022), the COVID-19 pandemic saw an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety among Asian Americans. They highlighted that some of the mental health symptoms are linked with an increase in racial discrimination and social isolation.
It is important to note that each person’s experience within the AAPI community is unique. For some, personal experiences living through the COVID-19 pandemic included violence and aggression in a physical form. Others were on the receiving end of microaggressions and verbal violence. No matter the experience, future generations are at risk for experiencing intergenerational trauma. The good news is that we have the knowledge and resources to prevent this from happening.
Importance of Access to Mental Healthcare
Despite the importance of mental health services, historically and in the present-day, Asian Americans have resisted care due to cultural beliefs and the stigma around mental health. Researchers have also found that Asian Americans who are children of immigrants (first generation) are those who are least likely to seek services due to cultural differences and practices. On the other hand, their children (second generation) are more likely to seek services since they are more exposed to mainstream American culture.
Fortunately, the events of the past few years have helped to break down previous beliefs around mental health and many in the AAPI community are considering or reaching out for services. But, taking those first steps can be hard.
If you are an Asian American, you may be wondering how to ensure you are able to connect with a mental health provider who will see you as a person and honor your culture. It is absolutely OK and encouraged to advocate for yourself. In seeking a provider, here are some things to ask:
- Is the provider knowledgeable in AAPI culture and able to provide culturally-competent care?
- Does the provider understand cultural beliefs around mental health?
- Does the provider have experience in treating those impacted by intergenerational trauma?
It is also perfectly OK to request a provider with specific characteristics in order to help you to feel safe and comfortable.
You Deserve to be Heard and Understood
If you are scared not only to access mental health services, but to walk down the street — you are not alone. Many Asian Americans have been fearful for their safety due to the anti-Asian violence and discrimination since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some individuals in the AAPI community have even resorted to hiding their identity. But, getting care is important.
The trauma of the recent years has already begun to show itself and runs the risk of developing into bad habits and coping methods. As we now know, this can easily lead to intergenerational trauma passed down to future generations. The last thing anyone wants to do is to perpetuate the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, as members of the AAPI community ourselves, let us be the first to say, “You matter. Your future children matter. Our community matters.” You deserve to be heard and understood and to have access to a mental healthcare providers who sees you as an individual. Please reach out to us at Covenant Family Solutions if you would like to learn more about our services. Our support team is here to support you and encourage you to advocate for the care you need to prevent today’s trauma from turning into tomorrow’s story.
Additional Resources
Their are lots of AAPI friendly resources out there! If you are not ready to reach out for care just yet, but want to learn more about AAPI mental health, here are some places you can start:
- Asian Mental Health Collective: AsianMHC.org
- Monsoon Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity: MonsoonIowa.org
- Stop AAPI Hate: StopAAPIHate.org
- AAPI Women Lead: ImReadyMovement.org
- Asian American Advancing Justice: AdvancingJustice-AAJC.org
- Compassion Oakland: CompassionInOakland.org/
- Chinese for Affirmative Action: CAASF.org
- Dear Asian Youth: DearAsianYouth.org
- How to report a hate crime: Hate Crimes Resources – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
References
American Psychological Association. (2023, November 15). Intergenerational Trauma. https://dictionary.apa.org/intergenerational-trauma.
Litam. (2020). “Take your kung-flu back to Wuhan”: Counseling Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders with race-based trauma related to COVID-19. The Professional Counselor, 10(2), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.15241/sdal.10.2.144.
Sangalang & Vang. (2016). Intergenerational trauma in refugee families: A systematic review. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 19(3), 745–754. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0499-7.
Tiwari & Zhang. (2022). Differences in mental health status among Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from the Health, ethnicity, and pandemic study. Health Equity, 6(1), 448–453. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2022.0029
U.S. Congress. (2021). S.937 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): Covid-19 hate crimes act | congress.gov | library of Congress. Retrieved from https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/937.
