Intergenerational Trauma and Mental Health

gathered from : intergenerational trauma and mental health, Leilani Darwin, Stacey Vervoort, Emma Vollert and Shol Blustein https://www.indigenousmhspc.gov.au/getattachment/6f0fb3ba-11fb-40d2-8e29-62f506c3f80d/intergenerational-trauma-and-mental-health.pdf

The legacy of colonisation in Australia has caused deep, enduring trauma among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Intergenerational trauma refers to trauma that is transmitted across generations—affecting psychological, emotional, spiritual, cultural, and physical wellbeing. It manifests in disrupted family structures, grief, substance misuse, and systemic disadvantage. An estimated one-third of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are direct descendants of the Stolen Generations, highlighting the wide-reaching impact of these policies.

Key Insights

Historical Foundations

Dispossession and Displacement: Colonisation severed Indigenous peoples’ connections to Country, culture, and kin. The declaration of terra nullius denied land ownership and resulted in loss of cultural knowledge, traditional practices, and community cohesion.
Stolen Generations (1800s–1969): Government policies forcibly removed children to institutions and non-Indigenous homes. This disconnection led to identity loss, exposure to abuse, and multigenerational grief.

Health and Social Impacts

Psychosocial Distress: Stolen Generations survivors and their descendants experience disproportionately high rates of depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicidal ideation, incarceration, and substance use disorders.
Transgenerational Effects: Trauma is passed through disrupted parenting, family dysfunction, and environmental stressors like poverty, discrimination, and marginalisation.
Mental Health Outcomes: Stolen Generations survivors are 1.5 times more likely to report poor mental health and 1.6 times more likely to have experienced homelessness in the past decade (AIHW, 2018).
Substance Use: They are 1.6 times more likely to have used substances harmfully and 2.1 times more likely to report gambling-related harm in the household (Silburn et al., 2006).
Suicidality: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to non-Indigenous Australians, and suicide is the leading cause of death among those aged 15–34 years (ABS, 2023).
Youth Mental Health: In the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey, children living in households with a member who was removed were 2.3 times more likely to exhibit emotional or behavioural difficulties.
Justice Contact: Members of the Stolen Generations are 1.95 times more likely to have been arrested or charged with an offence.

Structural Contributors

Systemic Re-traumatisation: Child protection, justice, and health systems often perpetuate harm by failing to address trauma, cultural needs, or SEWB frameworks.
Denial of Rights: Historical exclusion from citizenship, education, employment, and civil liberties (e.g., until the 1967 referendum) entrenched structural inequity.

Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Framework

SEWB is a culturally grounded health model developed by Indigenous Australians. It views wellbeing holistically—beyond mental illness alone.

Seven Core Domains:

Connection to body
Connection to mind and emotions
Connection to family and kinship
Connection to community
Connection to culture
Connection to Country
Connection to spirituality and ancestors

Protective Factors

Cultural identity, kinship networks, connection to Country
Intergenerational transmission of language and traditions
Community leadership, Elders’ guidance, cultural pride

Risk Factors

Grief and loss, forced removals, systemic racism
Socioeconomic disadvantage: unemployment, housing insecurity
Cultural dislocation and institutional abuse

Mechanisms of Trauma Transmission

Attachment Disruption: Trauma impairs parental capacity, leading to inconsistent caregiving and emotional insecurity in children.
Loss of Cultural Anchors: Separation from cultural practices and Country weakens resilience, identity, and mental health.
Vicarious Trauma: Exposure to family violence, imprisonment, or substance misuse reinforces trauma cycles.

Evidence-Based Interventions

What Works

Culturally Embedded Healing: Initiatives that prioritise cultural safety, identity, and self-determination enhance recovery and SEWB.
Community-Governed Programs: Locally led, culturally relevant models foster trust, participation, and long-term impact.

Key Programs:

Murri School Program (Healing Foundation): Offers trauma-informed education with cultural grounding. Outcomes include improved attendance, Year 12 completion, reduced justice contact, and mental health gains.
- 92% Year 12 completion rate among participants (vs 65% national Indigenous average).
- Significant reduction in school absenteeism.
- Estimated economic return of $28,248 per student, largely due to reduced need for child protection and mental health interventions (Deloitte, 2017).
CSEWB Program: Developed post-National Empowerment Project, it delivers trauma education, grief support, and cultural resilience workshops. Implemented in QLD and WA.
- Evaluation showed:
  - Increased employment participation and community leadership.
  - Reduced family violence and improved parenting practices.
  - Participants reported greater confidence, cultural identity, and ability to manage grief and trauma.
Red Dust Healing: Male-focused program addressing emotional suppression, identity loss, and family violence through reflective cultural practice. Award-winning model with broad community impact.
Independent evaluation found:
- Strengthened social connectedness, family engagement, and self-worth.
- Reduction in reoffending among justice-involved participants.
- Recognised by United Nations of Australia for cultural healing excelle

What Doesn’t Work

Culturally Inappropriate Care: Interventions that ignore Indigenous worldviews or impose Western mental health paradigms are often rejected or ineffective.
Failure to Address Trauma: Services that overlook the role of colonisation and intergenerational trauma in health disparities fail to produce meaningful change.

Ongoing Challenges

Limited Data: There is a paucity of national-level, Indigenous-specific data linking trauma to suicide, SEWB, or service efficacy.
Under-evaluated Programs: Many culturally strong programs lack long-term evaluation or funding sustainability.

Global Parallels: Comparative Statistics

Canada: First Nations youth are 5–6 times more likely to die by suicide than non-Indigenous youth (Government of Canada, 2021).
New Zealand: Māori are 2.7 times more likely than non-Māori to experience psychological distress (NZ Ministry of Health, 2020).
United States: American Indian and Alaska Native populations have the highest suicide rate of any racial/ethnic group in the U.S. (CDC, 2022).

These findings underscore that colonial trauma has universal mental health consequences among Indigenous populations worldwide.

Conclusions and Implications

Addressing intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities requires:

Truth-Telling: Acknowledging the history of colonisation and forced removals.
Cultural Restoration: Supporting reconnection to language, lore, and land.
Indigenous Leadership: Empowering Aboriginal-led design, governance, and evaluation of services.
System Reform: Embedding trauma-informed and SEWB-based frameworks in mainstream policy and health systems.

Investment in holistic, trauma-informed, and culturally governed initiatives is essential to repairing intergenerational harm and fostering sustainable mental, cultural, and community wellbeing.