INVESTIGATING HISTORICAL TRAUMA PREVALENCE AND TRANSMISSION PATHWAYS AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS: CENTERING COMMUNITY WELLNESS PRACTICES

Abstract

Existing historical trauma studies have advanced important theoretical frameworks for understanding biopsychosocial effects observed among children of Holocaust survivors and contemporary Indigenous Peoples. This study used an existing application of historical trauma conceptualized as historical perceived loss and associated symptoms of that perceived loss such as grief, anger, sadness and depression to determine prevalence and correlates of historical loss among 129 African Americans aged 18 to over 65 from Illinois and Florida in the United States. The respondents also completed a survey to identify potential historical trauma transmission pathways. The results indicated respondents reported they thought about historical losses such as land, language, and spiritual ways at least yearly or at special times and sometimes or more had feelings or associated symptoms of historical loss such as sadness or depression or being uncomfortable around White people. Bivariate and multivariate correlational analyses showed significantly statistical differences between age and historical loss and associated symptoms where younger respondents had more frequent thoughts about historical loss and experienced more associated emotions, which was unexpected. A correlation was also found between occasionally hearing family stories of enslavement and discrimination and thoughts of historical loss