July 2, 2025

Taryn Han 

12th Grade

Fountain Valley High School

As childhood trauma plays a serious factor in an individual’s response to dealing with situations, studies have shown that the early experiences of an ancestor can be transmitted to the next generations. The term “epigenetics” describes variations in gene expression that are not brought on by changes to the DNA sequence. Instead, environmental factors, including stress and trauma, can influence these epigenetic changes. Over the past years, society has gradually shown more recognition of and care for mental health. However, inherited trauma from past ancestors will be a step back from progress. By exploring the experiences passed on from ancestors in the warfield and analyzing the correlation between epigenetics and inherited trauma, biologists receive a better understanding of potential implications for the future treatment and prevention of inherited childhood trauma.

The severity of childhood trauma from an environmental event is inherited by creating an epigenetic mark in how a gene functions. According to professors of the University of Zurich Bohacek & Mansuy (2012), an overproduction of these marks can alter a person’s response to stress, leading to an increased risk of stress-related disorders such as depression, anxiety attacks, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (p. 221). With exposure to stress in a harsh environment, the offspring will respond the same way as their ancestors would, just like survival instincts. The cells in one’s body collect a memory of responses from the ancestral line as the genetic expression changes. The traits of childhood trauma from grandparents are carried along through the establishment of epigenetic marks in the germline (Bohacek & Mansuy, p. 222). The acquired characteristics follow along through the same process as the physical features that parents pass to offspring. This ongoing cycle of traumatic memories transmitting across generations proceeds as responses against the environment arise.

According to the Science to Save the World (2021), Nazi soldiers restricted food supplies from entering the Netherlands for six months during the Dutch Hunger Winter, leaving the health of children from pregnant women at a high rate of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. From this horrid famine, the children’s bodies will epigenetically program the next generations to hold on to every last calorie consumed, resulting in obesity; this trait will progressively become inherited through the ancestral line. In addition, incidents of torture and flight in the Holocaust have revealed lasting effects on the offspring’s health of trauma survivors. Natan P.F. Kellermann (2013), a clinical psychologist, interprets a child’s nightmare as “frightening images that kept haunting [the child and]... a past terror that was not [the child’s] own” (p. 33). Even though the youth did not partake in World War II, some children developed nightmares from their parents. In this case, the child experienced nightmares of being chased by soldiers in the ghetto.

As the research of inherited trauma becomes uncovered at the hands of epigenetic changes, the discovery of long-term treatment and prevention comes closer. Researchers study the inherited trauma from the created epigenetic marks in genes to develop tools to diagnose patients, such as relieving the minds with EMDR therapy. Responses from ancestors who had experienced war enable insight into the severity of the cause. With more in-depth research of inherited childhood trauma, biologists can locate cures to prevent this generational cycle from extending. Considering the importance of mental health, these epigenetic changes influence a majority of people trying to deal with their illness alone, or who need someone to communicate with. Plenty of resources, such as therapists or consultants, provide practical benefits to those who need assistance, but these tools can also open up new perspectives and thoughts for those who do not.