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Review
. 2022 Apr;31(2):237-250.
doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2021.11.004. Epub 2022 Feb 25.

Focusing on Racial, Historical and Intergenerational Trauma, and Resilience: A Paradigm to Better Serving Children and Families

Lisa R Fortuna  1 , Amalia Londoño Tobón  2 , Yohanis Leonor Anglero  3 , Alejandra Postlethwaite  4 , Michelle V Porche  5 , Eugenio M Rothe  6
Affiliations
Review

Focusing on Racial, Historical and Intergenerational Trauma, and Resilience: A Paradigm to Better Serving Children and Families

Lisa R Fortuna et al. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Research across populations demonstrates that intergenerational trauma can have lasting biological, psychological, and social consequences and affects groups of individuals in different ways. An appreciation of intergenerational trauma as experienced in diverse populations is important not only for understanding vulnerabilities and risk but also for cultivating opportunities for posttraumatic growth and healing. Understanding the contexts of trauma for children and families and the unveiling of structural inequities, both past and present, offers the opportunity to address these in using clinical and systems of care approaches in the public health spheres.

Keywords: American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN); Black; Children; Historical trauma; Intergenerational trauma; Latinx; Racism; Resilience.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Dr. Londoño Tobón performed this work while completing a post-doctoral fellowship at Lifespan/Brown University (T32 MH019927). She is now supported by the Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health. The contents and views in this manuscript are those of the authors and should not be construed to represent the views of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Fortuna, Dr. Anglero, Dr. Postlethwaite. Dr. Porche and Dr. Roth have nothing to disclose.

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