Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Aug;24(4):399-404.
doi: 10.1002/jts.20652. Epub 2011 Jul 15.

Do adolescent offspring of women with PTSD experience higher levels of chronic and episodic stress?

Sarah R Brand  1 , Julia C Schechter, Constance L Hammen, Robyne Le Brocque, Patricia A Brennan
Affiliations

Do adolescent offspring of women with PTSD experience higher levels of chronic and episodic stress?

Sarah R Brand et al. J Trauma Stress. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

Offspring of mothers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at higher risk for a range of negative developmental outcomes, including differing forms of psychopathology. This study suggests that the multigenerational impact of trauma may be partially attributed to increased levels of stress experienced by these offspring during childhood and adolescence. Diagnostic interviews were conducted with over 800 women and their offspring. Experiences of stress were assessed using multiple measures. Results indicate that offspring of mothers with PTSD or high levels of PTSD symptoms experienced higher levels of lifetime exposure to major stress, η(2) = .02, current chronic stress due to family relations, η(2) = .01, and a higher level of objectively rated recent episodic life stress, η(2) = .01, compared to offspring of women without PTSD. These findings remained significant after controlling for maternal history of depression.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: Author; 1980.
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: Author; 1994.
    1. Bedford A, Foulds G. Validation of the Delusions–Symptoms–States Inventory. British Journal of Medical Psychology. 1977;50:163–171.
    1. Bemmels HR, Burt SA, Legrand LN, Iacono WG, McGue M. The heritability of life events: An adolescent twin and adoption study. Twin Research and Human Genetics. 2008;11:257–265. - PubMed
    1. Brown GW, Harris T. Social origins of depression. London: Free Press; 1978. - PubMed

Publication types