Abstract
The trauma of a genocide can be transmitted to subsequent generations though familial mental health, sociopolitical trauma, and cultural narratives, thereby impacting mental health and well-being. Understanding specific mechanisms that are unique to each ethnic group impacted by genocide illuminates cultural, sociopolitical, and individual factors related to the transmission. For the Armenian community, the unresolved historical loss of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, with the threat of acculturation for such a large diasporic population, a continued denial by the perpetrators, as well as subsequent generations’ refugee experiences, may further exasperate the impact of transgenerational trauma from the genocide. This literature review explores the mental health needs of Armenian youth in the current sociopolitical context and provides implications for how schools and communities may use this knowledge to inform supports that center Armenian community healing. Future directions for research are also discussed.
Highlights
Each search used a combination of key search terms, including: “genocide descendant mental health”, “transgenerational trauma”, “historical loss”, Armenian mental health”, and “Middle Eastern mental health.”
While qualitative research suggests that second- and third- generation descendants of genocide survivors experience transgenerational trauma and that mental health symptoms are passed down directly or indirectly, meta-analyses of quantitative studies with descendants conclude a lack of evidence for this type of transmission [9]
The authors suggest that these results indicate a possible mediating relation between ethnic identification and transgenerational trauma
Summary
Mental health professionals trained in multicultural psychology are responsible to acquire knowledge of the sociopolitical context of the communities they serve and to learn the appropriate idioms of distress. Without this knowledge, they would not be able to properly identify youth in need or use the appropriate terminology to communicate effective treatment. Public Health 2021, 18, 10554 youth’s behavioral issues as rooted in their experiences from homelessness and involvement in the foster system While this viewpoint may build empathy and help address some of the youth’s mental health needs, it places the relationship in a strictly deficit-based lens. Through a healing-centered framework, mental health professionals can create a more holistic expression of care that incorporates culture, spirituality, and collective healing
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