The Lasting Effects of Generational Trauma and Abuse
BY: Sarah Martin
In a world where wars, disasters, and everyday violence shape so many lives, trauma is far from rare. Researchers estimate that nearly 70% of people will face at least one potentially traumatic event in their lifetime, and about 5.6% will develop post-traumatic stress disorder. But when the trauma comes from abuse, especially the kind that unfolds behind closed doors, the impact can be even more insidious. Abuse doesn’t just wound in the moment; it embeds itself like a thorn bush growing quietly in the background of a family’s life. Its branches scratch at daily existence, and its roots burrow deep, leaving physical and psychological marks that don’t simply fade with time.
For decades, these wounds were treated as private tragedies carried by individuals. Yet a growing body of research shows that the effects of abuse don’t end with the person who survives it. Severe stress and violence can leave biological signatures, changes in gene expression, stress-response systems, and inflammatory pathways, that persist long after the original harm. These marks can shape how future generations respond to fear, regulate their bodies, and navigate the world. Trauma, it turns out, can be inherited as surely as eye color.
And like a thorn bush that refuses to die, generational trauma keeps growing until someone is willing to do the painful work of digging. Healing requires pulling up each embedded thorn, examining each tangled branch, and slowly working toward the root. Only when a generation confronts the legacy of abuse head-on—naming it, understanding it, and treating it—can the roots finally be exposed and cut away. That is the moment when the cycle can end, and the ground can finally begin to heal.
Several research studies show that the deeply damaging psychological and genetic effects of trauma and abuse can be passed down from one generation to the next in a phenomenon called “intergenerational trauma.”
“The American Psychiatric Association defined ‘intergenerational trauma’ as a situation in which descendants of Survivors who have gone through a traumatic incident show similar unfavorable emotional and behavioral responses as those Survivors. These responses include feelings of low self-worth, depression, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, dissociation, hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, difficulties forming relationships and attachments, difficulties controlling aggression, and extreme reactivity to stress. The impacts of intergenerational trauma are not only manifested in emotional and behavioral responses but also extend to physiological changes” (El-Khalil, Tudor, & Nedelcea 2025).
Building on this, researchers have found that the body often “remembers” what the mind tries to forget. “Scientific studies are rapidly identifying epigenetic mechanisms to explain how an environmental exposure may lead to an enduring change in the function of DNA that can be passed to future generations” (Yehuda Lehrner, 2018).
Chronic exposure to abuse can alter stress-response systems, hormone regulation, and even the way certain genes are expressed, changes that can be passed to children and grandchildren.
These inherited patterns don’t mean a family is doomed to repeat the same suffering, but they do help explain why cycles of abuse and trauma can feel so stubborn, so deeply rooted, that deep thorn bush wrapped around a family. When a child grows up already primed for heightened stress, mistrust, or emotional volatility, they’re not starting from the same baseline as someone else whose lineage has been shaped by safety and stability.
This is why intergenerational trauma is often described as an invisible thread running through families: it shapes behaviors, health outcomes, and relationships long before anyone realizes its origin.
Trauma and the lasting effects of its abuse can actually change the way genes are expressed without altering the gene itself. This is called Epigenetics.
Imagine one of the most well-known groups to survive the ultimate abuse and trauma in history: Holocaust Survivors.
Holocaust Survivors are often cited as one of the clearest and most heartbreaking examples of how profound trauma can echo across generations. Those who lived through the camps endured conditions that pushed the human body and mind far beyond their limits—starvation, forced labor, relentless fear, and the constant threat of violence. Many witnessed the deaths of loved ones, were separated from their families, and survived under levels of physical and emotional stress that few experiences in history can parallel.
Researchers studying the children and grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors have found that this extreme trauma did not end with liberation. The psychological and physiological toll carried by Survivors left measurable marks on their descendants, influencing stress-response systems, emotional regulation, and even patterns of gene expression. In other words, the trauma that Survivors were forced to endure became so deeply embedded that it shaped not only their own lives but the biological inheritance of the generations that followed.
“Studies suggest their trauma resulted in chemical alterations in their genes—specifically, a gene involved in stress regulation. Those same genetic effects were also seen in their children, even though they were born much later. When trauma changes how your body reads and reacts to your genes, those responses can carry through generations, just like dimples and a cleft chin” (Cleveland Clinic, 2025).
The impact of trauma and abuse is not confined to the moment it occurs; its effects unfold across both the immediate and distant future. In the short term, Survivors often grapple with overwhelming stress responses—hypervigilance, disrupted sleep, difficulty concentrating, and a constant sense of danger that lingers long after the threat has passed. Their bodies remain on high alert, flooded with stress hormones that were once necessary for survival but become corrosive when activated for too long.
Over time, these physiological and emotional strains can harden into long-term consequences: chronic inflammation, heightened susceptibility to illness, and persistent anxiety or depression, and patterns of behavior shaped by fear rather than safety. It’s when that thorn bush starts winding its way around and deep within a family. When trauma is severe or prolonged, especially in cases of abuse, these changes can become deeply embedded, influencing not only the Survivor’s health and relationships but also the biological inheritance passed to their children. This is the lasting impact from generational trauma and abuse, an impact that stretches far beyond a single lifetime, shaping the emotional and physical landscape of generations to come.
There is, however, hope. That thorn bush can be cut, and eventually its roots can be pulled. Your family’s history doesn’t have to be yours to continue. But it can take a lot of dedication, effort, and help.
“It’s not as easy as ‘just stopping,’” Dr. Reali-Sorrell emphasizes. Trauma responses are deeply held and hard to shake. Breaking the cycle of generational trauma takes more than sheer willpower, it often requires support, tools, and new ways of thinking” (What is Generational Trauma?, 2025). No one can control the experiences of generations before, and it is not something you should blame yourself for. It takes bravery and tremendous strength, but the first step is always asking for help. Reaching out for support is a pivotal step in breaking generational cycles. Beyond traditional routes like community clinics or healthcare providers, you might consider connecting with our organization, Abuse Refuge Org (ARO) where we offer Norm Therapy® sessions specifically tailored to help individuals navigate and heal from the impacts of abuse. That thorn bush can be cut. It doesn’t have to stay interwoven in a family tree forever.
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Sources
El-Khalil, C., Tudor, D.C., & Nedelcea, C. Impact of intergenerational trauma on second-generation descendants: a systematic review. BMC Psychol 13, 668 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03012-4
Yehuda R, Lehrner A. Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: putative role of epigenetic mechanisms. World Psychiatry. 2018 Oct;17(3):243-257. doi: 10.1002/wps. 20568. PMID: 30192087; PMCID: PMC6127768.
What is Generational Trauma? And How Can You Break the Cycle. (2025 November). Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/generational- trauma
