Transgenerational Aspects Research Articles

Demographic, Environmental, and Psychosocial Influences on Resilience Toward Chronic Stress.

As studied previously, chronic stress environments lead to the formation of distinctive resilience groupings when related to individual outcomes among participants. The majority of the population has decreased mental and physical strength during prolonged periods of mental distress but returns to baseline status when those stressors are removed. Others have increased and decreased mental fortitude despite the removal of stressors. Our hypothesis is that certain demographic, environmental, and/or transgenerational aspects are associated with resilience or lack thereof in populations with a history of chronic stress. The end goal is the early identification of at-risk populations to decrease adverse outcomes and improve quality of life. In this review, we looked at 17 studies to gain a greater understanding of which factors influence individual resilience. The factors found to have a positive relationship with resilience were religion, cognitive function, socioeconomic status, marriage, psychological functioning, positive coping mechanisms, and relationships; the negative were medical diagnoses, violence exposure, female sex, stressors/trauma, disaster exposure, and negative coping mechanisms. During our research, we found that transgenerational aspects such as race/ethnicity, occupation, education, age, substance use, and physical location had mixed results across multiple studies. These findings suggest the need for future original research to allow for a definitive understanding of populations resilient to chronic stress.

The impact of gestational diabetes on the mother and her child: what strategies can we propose?

Gestational diabetes is often considered as a diagnosis that affects maternal and offspring health exclusively during pregnancy. However, we now know that there are also medium- and long-term risks beyond pregnancy for the mother and the child. Lifestyle changes have been proven to be effective, but they are still a major challenge for young women with no previous health problems and a busy schedule. However, it is also a time that can be seen as an opportunity to take care of one's health in a more global perspective including also transgenerational aspects. This article describes the medium- and long-term issues at stake, but above all the different ways to approach them.

Transgenerational Genogram Analysis

The genogram technique was developed by Muray Bowen (1993) within the Family Systems Theory, based on studies in which transgenerational aspects within the family were followed. The cited author states that family problems are transmitted from one generation to another, subjects tending to reproduce behaviors that they learned socially from their ancestors (Zamoșteanu, n.d., pp. 23-25). The genogram (or family tree) is a method that can be helpful in understanding family dynamics and has also been used with adoptive and foster families.

Internationalisation as a factor for successful transgenerational practises in family businesses

The study of the internationalisation processes of family businesses has grown significantly in the last decades. However, there is no specific literature on the topic internationalisation as well as on its relationships with the transgenerational aspects of family businesses from emerging economies. Thus, this article aims to investigate the level of relevance of the internationalisation process as a factor for successful practises across generations in family businesses. To answer this question, a case study was carried out with a third generation family business in Southern Brazil. The main results are that internationalisation can be an element of the revitalisation of the business, thus avoiding its decline. At least some of the members must take on the responsibility for continuing the founder's legacy, communicating clearly with the other family members who are not involved in the management to establish a dynamic among all shareholders.

Conflict and Peace Economics: Retrospective and Prospective Reflections on Concepts, Theories, and Data

ABSTRACT In reviewing the sweep of the extant literature over the past century or so, we first define and present an overview and conceptual synthesis of the field of conflict economics with a special view toward the subfield of peace economics. We explain that standard textbook economics is a special case of conflict economics and discuss assumptions, subject matter, and interrelations between economics and conflict. We also briefly discuss the nature of the peace and security good, including transboundary and transgenerational aspects. Second, focusing on new research opportunities arising from behavioral, identity, and social network economics we identify entire branches of economic theory that have been little harvested as yet to help address important aspects of conflict and peace. We provide illustrative models, each tied to economics’ standard rational choice setup. Third, we reflect on the use of conflict-related datasets in empirical research, illustrated with examples pertaining to data validity, missing data, data merging, and data mining.

Repressive H3K9me2 protects lifespan against the transgenerational burden of COMPASS activity in C. elegans.

In Caenorhabditis elegans, mutations in WDR-5 and other components of the COMPASS H3K4 methyltransferase complex extend lifespan and enable its inheritance. Here, we show that wdr-5 mutant longevity is itself a transgenerational trait that corresponds with a global enrichment of the heterochromatin factor H3K9me2 over twenty generations. In addition, we find that the transgenerational aspects of wdr-5 mutant longevity require the H3K9me2 methyltransferase MET-2, and can be recapitulated by removal of the putative H3K9me2 demethylase JHDM-1. Finally, we show that the transgenerational acquisition of longevity in jhdm-1 mutants is associated with accumulating genomic H3K9me2 that is inherited by their long-lived wild-type descendants at a subset of loci. These results suggest that heterochromatin facilitates the transgenerational establishment and inheritance of a complex trait. Based on these results, we propose that transcription-coupled H3K4me via COMPASS limits lifespan by encroaching upon domains of heterochromatin in the genome.

Parental Educational Attainment and Mental Well-Being of College Students; Diminished Returns of Blacks.

Background. According to the Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDR) theory, the health returns of socioeconomic status (SES) are systemically smaller for Blacks compared to Whites. Less is known, however, about trans-generational aspects of such diminished gains. For example, the differential impact of parental educational attainment on differences in mental well-being between White versus Black college students remains unknown. Aims. With a national scope, this study explored racial differences in the effect of parental educational attainment on the mental well-being of college students in the United States. Methods. The Healthy Mind Study (HMS), 2016–2017, is a national telephone survey that included 41,898 college students. The sample was composed of Whites (n = 38,544; 92.0%) and Blacks (n = 3354; 8.0%). The independent variable was highest parental educational attainment. The dependent variable was mental well-being (mentally healthy days in the past month) which was measured using a single item. Age and gender were covariates. Race was the moderator. Logistic regression was used for data analysis. Results. In the pooled sample, high parental educational attainment was associated with better mental wellbeing, independent of race, age, and gender. Race, however, showed a significant interaction with parental educational attainment on students’ mental wellbeing, indicating a smaller effect of parent education on the mental wellbeing of Black compared to White college students. Conclusions. The returns of parental educational attainment in terms of mental well-being is smaller for Black college students compared to their White counterparts. To minimize the diminished returns of parental education in Black families, policies should go beyond equalizing SES and reduce the structural barriers that are common in the lives of Black families. Policies should also aim to reduce extra costs of upward social mobility, prevent discrimination, and enhance the quality of education for Blacks. As the mechanisms that are involved in MDR are multi-level, multi-level solutions are needed to minimize the racial gaps in gaining mental health benefits from higher socioeconomic levels.

Urban Foraging in Berlin: People, Plants and Practices within the Metropolitan Green Infrastructure

Gathering wild plants in cities (urban foraging) is likely an important, but understudied human-nature interaction globally. As large European cities are critically understudied in this regard, we performed in-depth ethnography-based interviews in Berlin, Germany, to shed light on the cultural background of foragers, their motivations and which plants and fungi are gathered for which purposes. Results demonstrate multiple uses of 125 taxa, mostly frequently-occurring species but also some Red List species, from a range of formal and informal greenspace types. Both native and non-native species were gathered, with significant differences in use patterns. Use for food was most common, followed by medicinal uses, and personal enjoyment was a frequent motivation, indicating that urban foraging combines provisioning and cultural ecosystem services. Familial and childhood foraging exposure were common, pointing to influences of early-in-life exposure on later-in-life activities and transgenerational aspects of the practice. Results further suggest legacy effects from the post-war and communist eras on foraging knowledge. Although non-commercial foraging is allowed in Berlin, over-harvesting was not evident. Interviews indicate that stewardship of urban biodiversity is common among foragers. Results thus suggest considering urban foraging as a promising vehicle for linking humans with nature when developing a biodiverse urban green infrastructure.

Public recognition of traditional vegetables at the municipal level: Implications for transgenerational knowledge transmission

BackgroundIn this paper, recognition of traditional agricultural products by the general public is presented and analyzed to explore the transgenerational aspects of traditional vegetables and their knowledge transfer. It is necessary to understand how the products are recognized by different generations and gender, in terms of retaining and branding the local products. MethodsA questionnaire survey with random sampling was conducted to identify the recognition of traditional vegetables including the Kaga and Noto vegetables in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. By understanding the degree of recognition, elaborating strategic plans for retention of traditional agricultural products and effective promotion of the products can be implemented. ResultsThe results from 149 respondents indicate that there are differences of recognition depending on their gender or age. In particular, young people obtain information on traditional vegetables mainly from TV, whereas older people gain information from newspapers. Furthermore, more than half of the Kaga vegetables are better recognized among the older generation. ConclusionThe analysis of this paper serves as the basis to capture the cultural importance, or to develop branding strategy as the results clarify the degree of recognition of residents and tourists from various generations. As the population has been aging, transmitting knowledge about the products to young people who have less knowledge is the urgent issue.

De Geração em Geração: A Violência Conjugal e as Experiências na Família de Origem

Considering the family’s transgenerational aspects and the relevant of theme for different knowledge fields, this study aims identifying possible associations between experiences in family-of-origin and intimate partner violence, as well as verifying the predictive power of early experiences in the perpetration of marital violence. A sample of 300 people answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, Family Background Questionnaire and Revised Conflict Tactics Scale. The data showed important correlations between abusive experience in the family-of-origin and intimate partner violence. Among women, physical neglect, sexual abuse and parental substance abuse were predictors of aggression committed in their relationships. While in male sample, the predictor was paternal physical abuse. This article discusses the impact of experiences in the family-of-origin, as well as the relevance of social services policies targeting couples and families in situations of violence and whose aim is to stop the perpetuation of violent relational patterns.

Eating disorders in adolescence: attachment issues from a developmental perspective.

In the present article we review findings from an emerging body of research on attachment issues in adolescents with eating disorders from a developmental perspective. Articles for inclusion in this review were identified from PsychINFO (1966–2013), Sciencedirect (1970–2013), Psychindex (1980–2013), and Pubmed (1980–2013). First, we will outline the crucial developmental changes in the attachment system and discuss how they might be related to the early onset of the disease. Then we will report on the major results from attachment studies using self-report and narrative instruments in that age group. Studies with a developmental approach on attachment will be analyzed in more detail. The high incidence of the unresolved attachment pattern in eating disorder samples is striking, especially for patients with anorexia nervosa. Interestingly, this predominance of the unresolved category was also found in their mothers. To date, these transgenerational aspects are still poorly understood and therefore represent an exciting research frontier. Future studies that include larger adolescent samples and provide a more detailed description including symptom severity and comorbidity would contribute to a better understanding of this complex and painful condition.

Violência Doméstica e Transgeracionalidade: Um Estudo de Caso

The consequences of domestic violence tend to reach everyone involved, affecting significant areas of life, such as professional career, family and social bonds. The objective of this research was to comprehend a woman’s experience of marital domestic violence and its repercussions on her life. The authors performed a case study on a woman who had been living at a support center due to her experience with domestic violence, using a sociodemographic questionnaire and a semi structured interview. The participant’s life story and marital relationship were analyzed, investigating transgenerational aspects, understanding how she evaluated her own relationship and the repercussions of violence perceived in her life. According to the methodology of case studies, all collected data received quantitative and qualitative analysis. The results showed that models learned along interactions within the original families were relevant, according to the patient, to maintain a violent marital relationship, which reinforces the transgenerational perspective of violence. Furthermore, the results indicate the necessity of an attentive approach from health professionals, concerning experiences of violence during childhood, in order to develop interventions that propitiate the rupturing from transgenerational cycles.

Aspectos transgeracionais da gravidez na adolescência na perspectiva de mães e filhas residentes em Parobé e Taquara (RS)

The transgenerational transmission constitutes in relevant aspects for understanding families during a time period and identifying the influences transmitted through generations. These may perpetuate or change behavior and nowadays they are strongly noticed in the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy. This study is the result of a survey that aims to investigate transgenerational aspects of teenage pregnancy in young people, from twelve to nineteen years old, and their mothers, with the criterion that both have had their first pregnancies during adolescence. We performed a semistructured interview with three pairs of mothers and daughters, in the municipal districts of Parobé and Taquara (RS, Brazil). Later, the collected content was analyzed according to Bardin’s analysis system (1977). The results of this research showed that the transgenerational aspects were found in the pregnancy of these adolescent girls and their mothers, through the models and repetitive behavior both experienced and also by their search for different experiences. This study showed that family and partner support is an important foundation for the growth of these adolescent girls and their children. This support has passed over generations and it has shown itself in various ways. The study shows that the respondents have a positive and optimistic perception about their condition and their future, indicating that pregnancy has changed the way they perceive the world and themselves.Key words: adolescence, pregnancy, transgeneration.

‘A kaleidoscope of themes’: intensive psychotherapy with a girl on the autistic spectrum

This paper is an account of the intensive psychotherapy of a young girl on the autistic spectrum. It describes her confusing presentation and how this suggested a tendency to oscillate between mainly unintegrated states of mind. Important themes that emerged included the phantasy of inhabiting a claustrum; the use of adhesive identification to defend against the bodily felt terror of separation; and fear of damage to the maternal object. The paper also discusses the trans-generational aspects of her difficulties and considers how her therapy helped growth to take place.

Transgenerationele aspecten van trauma en dissociatie

Transgenerational aspects of trauma and dissociation: Empirical data We investigated the link between trauma history, dissociation and memories of parental rearing behaviour of 99 psychiatric patients (mainly with eating disorders) and their parents. A modest correlation was found between dissociation and trauma history of mothers and children (not of fathers and children). The incidence of reported trauma in children was not higher when parents report trauma themselves. A relationship was found between trauma and dissociation on the one hand and memories of parental rearing behaviour (‘overprotection’ and ‘warmth’) on the other hand. The results support a complex and multifactor model of trauma and dissociation.