Intergenerational Trauma and Depressive Symptoms Among Adult Descendants of Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian Refugees

Descendants of Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian refugees have been impacted by intergenerational trauma as a result of their parent’s trauma from being refugees from the Vietnam War, Secret War, and the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s and 1980s. There are limited studies evaluating the impacts of intergenerational trauma on adult descendants in Southeast Asian (SEA) refugee families. To address this research gap, a quantitative survey was conducted with adult descendants who are 18 years old or older to examine if intergenerational trauma is associated with depressive symptoms among adult Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian Americans whose parents came to the United States as refugees. To recruit participants, both purposive and snowball sampling was used. A total of 66 participants responded to the online survey. The survey consisted of multiple measures that analyzed the relationship between intergenerational trauma and depressive symptoms, including perceived parental trauma, intergenerational/intercultural conflict, acculturation, social support, and demographic characteristics. Statistical analysis was conducted through descriptive statistics and bivariate correlation analysis. Results indicated that intergenerational trauma was not associated with depressive symptoms. However, depressive symptoms were associated with intergenerational/intercultural conflict (r = 0.421, p < .01) and social support (r = -0.383, p < .01). It is possible that acculturation differences between descendants and parents are connected to intergenerational/intercultural conflict and depressive symptoms while social support allows the descendants to feel connected with others, which can reduce depressive symptoms. Culturally adapted family interventions, education, culturally sensitive therapy, and community spaces are possible solutions to addressing depressive symptoms among SEA adult descendants.