The Intergenerational Transference of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Amongst Children and Grandchildren of Vietnam Veterans in Australia: An Argument for a Genetic Origin

Where does Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have its origins? Does it have a genetic basis, or is it a learned psychological response to a severe life-endangering experience? If PTSD has genetic origins, then this condition could be passed down from one generation to the next and put the offspring at risk for developing or acquiring related conditions. If PTSD is a learned condition from our environment, then it could be ‘taught’ to our children. In either case, there is an increasing awareness in the behavioural research community that more young people are being diagnosed with PTSD than before. This paper examines a current trend in recent research that proposes a radical, yet rational perspective