Mechanisms Explaining the Relationship Between Maternal Torture Exposure and Youth Adjustment In Resettled Refugees: A Pilot Examination of Generational Trauma Through Moderated Mediation

Sarah J. Hoffman; Maria M. Vukovich; Abigail H. Gewirtz; Jayne A. Fulkerson; Cheryl L. Robertson; Joseph E. Gaugler

doi:10.1007/s10903-020-01052-z

Mechanisms Explaining the Relationship Between Maternal Torture Exposure and Youth Adjustment In Resettled Refugees: A Pilot Examination of Generational Trauma Through Moderated Mediation

Sarah J. Hoffman, Maria M. Vukovich, Abigail H. Gewirtz, Jayne A. Fulkerson, Cheryl L. Robertson, Joseph E. Gaugler

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The intergenerational effects of trauma resulting from torture and war are complex and multi-faceted and have important implications for the family system. The current study aimed to identify key relationships between refugee maternal caregiver exposure to torture, mental health, and physical health with maternal-reported youth adjustment. Ninety-six Karen maternal caregivers originating from Burma and resettled in the United States participated in a cross-sectional, explanatory mixed methods study. Maternal mental health distress was found to mediate the relationship betweenmaternal torture experiences and youth adjustment, R² =.357. Physical health problems was found to moderate the degree to which mental health distress mediated the relationship between torture and war trauma experiences and youth adjustment, R² =.409. The current study is significant in that it enhances our mechanistic understanding of factors relevant to the intergenerational effects of trauma within families where maternal caregivers experienced trauma from torture and/or war.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1232-1239
Number of pages	8
Journal	Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume	22
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01052-z
State	Published - Dec 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K12HD055887. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Acknowledgements

Funding Information:
We acknowledge the essential contributions in early project phases by the Center for Victims of Torture, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. Specifically, we thank the Director of Research, Craig Higson Smith for his guidance and expertise. We thank the Karen Organization of Minnesota for key project support. We attribute the depth and richness of the data, in part, to our interpreter, Ehtaguy Zar.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Keywords

Generation
Maternal caregiver
Mental health
Physical health
Refugee
Torture
Trauma
Youth adjustment

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Hoffman, S. J., Vukovich, M. M., Gewirtz, A. H., Fulkerson, J. A., Robertson, C. L., & Gaugler, J. E. (2020). Mechanisms Explaining the Relationship Between Maternal Torture Exposure and Youth Adjustment In Resettled Refugees: A Pilot Examination of Generational Trauma Through Moderated Mediation. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 22(6), 1232-1239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01052-z

Mechanisms Explaining the Relationship Between Maternal Torture Exposure and Youth Adjustment In Resettled Refugees: A Pilot Examination of Generational Trauma Through Moderated Mediation. / Hoffman, Sarah J.; Vukovich, Maria M.; Gewirtz, Abigail H. et al.
In: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, Vol. 22, No. 6, 12.2020, p. 1232-1239.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Hoffman, SJ, Vukovich, MM, Gewirtz, AH , Fulkerson, JA, Robertson, CL & Gaugler, JE 2020, 'Mechanisms Explaining the Relationship Between Maternal Torture Exposure and Youth Adjustment In Resettled Refugees: A Pilot Examination of Generational Trauma Through Moderated Mediation', Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 1232-1239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01052-z

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Mechanisms Explaining the Relationship Between Maternal Torture Exposure and Youth Adjustment In Resettled Refugees: A Pilot Examination of Generational Trauma Through Moderated Mediation

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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