Review of Intergenerational Trauma Among Racial and Ethnic Minoritized Groups

Abstract
Objective
Intergenerational trauma refers to long-term traumatic aftereffects faced by generations of historically disenfranchised people after initially traumatizing experiences. The goal of this review is to summarize reviews on the impact of intergenerational racial trauma on health outcomes among racial and ethnic minoritized populations to address racial inequities in health.

Methods
A literature review was conducted in PubMed to identify articles that reported on prior literature examining the impact of intergenerational or historical racial trauma among racial and ethnic minoritized groups such as Black, Latine, Middle Eastern, Pacific Islanders, American Indian/Alaskan Natives, Indigenous, etc. Historical/Intergenerational racial trauma was also included in our review given the long history of racial trauma/stress faced by ethnic and racial minoritized groups in the US. Seven articles met our inclusion criteria.

Results
Intergenerational racial trauma has been studied among Black, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Latine populations, though the limited studies available often report the impact of intergenerational racial trauma among Black populations relative to other racial and ethnic minoritized groups. Intergenerational racial trauma has been defined as the impact of traumatic events (e.g., racial discrimination) in one generation (e.g., parent) on health outcomes (e.g., internalizing symptoms) in a subsequent generation (e.g., offspring). Although both physical and mental health outcomes have been examined, most studies reported on mental health outcomes (e.g., anxiety, depression). Most studies have found an association between intergenerational racial trauma and poorer health outcomes in racial and ethnic minoritized groups.

Summary
This review highlights the negative impact of intergenerational racial trauma on health outcomes among racial and ethnic minoritized groups. These findings support intergenerational racial trauma as a potential intervention target in mental health treatment. Many gaps in the literature remain highlighting the need for additional research on intergenerational racial trauma among racial and ethnic minoritized groups on broader outcomes including substance use problems.