Here's how: Trauma can leave a chemical mark on a person's genes, which can then be passed down to future generations. This mark doesn't cause a genetic mutation, but it does alter the mechanism by which the gene is expressed. This alteration is not genetic, but epigenetic.
Extreme stress and the associated high concentrations of stress hormones bring about an epigenetic change. A methyl group is broken off the DNA at this point, causing a marked increase in FKBP5 activity. This lasting epigenetic change is generated primarily through childhood traumatization.
The researchers concluded that PTSD's heritability — the level of influence genetics has on the variability of PTSD risk in the population — is between five and 20 percent, with some variability by sex. These findings held true across different ancestral groups.
Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence.
Can Children Get PTSD from Their Parents? Although not common, it is possible for children to show signs of PTSD because they are upset by their parent's symptoms. Trauma symptoms can also be passed from parent to child or between generations.
Adults who have experienced childhood trauma often have heightened anxiety levels. They may worry excessively and have trouble managing their anxiety. Childhood trauma can lead to persistent feelings of sadness, lack of interest in activities, and difficulty experiencing pleasure.
Children with generalized anxiety disorder are 3.5 times more likely to have a mother with generalized anxiety disorder. Children with social anxiety disorder are almost 3 times more likely to have a father with anxiety disorder.
Environmental exposure to certain chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, or other external factors can also cause DNA to change. These external agents of genetic change are called mutagens.
These researchers discovered that changes in neuronal activity can alter the 3D-structure of the DNA in neurons, which is required for precise temporal control of gene expression. Their analysis suggests that disruption of these activity-dependent rearrangements of DNA may play a role in Schizophrenia and ASD.
Physical punishments and psychological manipulation can alter the way that the body reads the DNA, new research has found, and these changes can become hard wired to the DNA of children who perceive adults who care for them as “harsh”, increasing their risk of depression in adolescence and beyond.
The effects of exposure to trauma in childhood have repeatedly been linked to the development of maladaptive personality traits and personality disorders [1,2,3,4]. In contrast, much less is known about personality related problems that may arise in adulthood.
When you experience something traumatic, the brain shuts down all nonessential systems and moves into the “lower” brain systems. This activates the sympathetic nervous system and signals the release of stress hormones, preparing you for survival mode: fight, flight, or freeze.
Signs & Symptoms of Generational Trauma
“The symptoms of generational trauma include hypervigilance, fears of death or no hope for the future, mistrust of outsiders, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low self-esteem, issues of addiction, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.”
Childhood abuse was associated with a component that captured 6.2% of total variance in DNA methylation (p < 0.05).
Mental Health
Surviving abuse or trauma as a child has been linked with higher rates of anxiety, depression, suicide and self harm, PTSD, drug and alcohol misuse and relationship difficulties.
Children who have experienced complex trauma often have difficulty identifying, expressing, and managing emotions, and may have limited language for feeling states. They often internalize and/or externalize stress reactions and as a result may experience significant depression, anxiety, or anger.
In modern psychology, genetic memory is generally considered a false idea. However, biologists such as Stuart A. Newman and Gerd B. Müller have contributed to the idea in the 21st century.
The nucleus is like the remote control center of the cell. It acts as the cell's brain by telling it what to do, how to grow, and when to reproduce. The nucleus is home to the cell's genes.
Like every form of learning, successful psychotherapy necessitates changes in neurocircuitry and neurotransmission, and such changes are in turn associated with underlying lasting changes in cell and genomic function.
Genetic engineering (also called genetic modification) is a process that uses laboratory-based technologies to alter the DNA makeup of an organism. This may involve changing a single base pair (A-T or C-G), deleting a region of DNA or adding a new segment of DNA.
Exposure to stress can modify DNA methylation, which may alter gene expression and therefore contribute to disease phenotypes [15]. Early-life stress, such as childhood abuse and stress-related disorders, have lasting effects on methylation that may persist into adulthood [16,17,18,19].
Regular physical exercise increases antioxidant capacity, protects DNA and reduces the effects of age-related declines in DNA repair. In one study, 16 weeks of physical exercise dramatically increased antioxidant activity, decreased DNA strand breaks and promoted DNA repair.
Here are some of the effects of toxic parenting on you:
Children of abusive parents are more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you are a sensitive person, and in case, if you make mistakes that upset your parents, you can become overly self-critical and blame yourself for everything.
Bipolar disorder is frequently inherited, with genetic factors accounting for approximately 80% of the cause of the condition. Bipolar disorder is the most likely psychiatric disorder to be passed down from family. If one parent has bipolar disorder, there's a 10% chance that their child will develop the illness.
Heritability is probably 40-50%, and might be higher for severe depression. This could mean that in most cases of depression, around 50% of the cause is genetic, and around 50% is unrelated to genes (psychological or physical factors).