Stories of our ancestors : intergenerational trauma and Chinese-Canadian families

Intergenerational trauma (IGT) is a distal determinant of mental health and has been examined in various populations, including Holocaust survivors and Indigenous peoples (Bombay et al., 2009). However, despite the significant historical traumas experienced by Chinese people in the twentieth century (e.g., the Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution), the research on IGT for this population has been limited. To address this gap in the literature, this study examined the following research question: What are the narratives of IGT and resiliency among Chinese-Canadian families? Narratives of IGT among parental and offspring Chinese-Canadians were co-constructed utilizing an adapted version of Arvay’s (2003) Collaborative Narrative Approach. To affirm the multilingual aspect of storytelling, unique methodological considerations (i.e., the Linguistic Ecology Protocol) were integrated into the study. Eight participants took part in the study with four from two parent-offspring dyads. Participants who took part as family dyads shared their co-constructed stories to each other in a reflective dialogue. These dialogues were witnessed by the researcher and incorporated into the study as separate narratives. An across-narrative analysis was conducted utilizing Braun and Clarke’s (2003) thematic analysis. From the analysis ten themes were developed. Five themes were associated with parental experiences: (a) Decimation of Social Structures; (b) Oppression, Chaos, and Abuse; (c) Desperation for Survival; (d) Personal Losses and the Denial of Education and Opportunities; and (e) Maintenance of Values and Emphasis on the Future. While the next five themes consisted of trauma transmission processes and its impact on the offspring generation: (a) Silence, Shame, and Disconnection; (b) Saving Face and the Cultural Framework of Interdependence; (c) Fear and Discipline; (d) Education as Survival and Identity; and (e) Preservation and Reclamation of Heritage. To understand the unique facets of history, trauma, and narrative presented in the analysis and co-constructed stories, a narrative model for Chinese-Canadian IGT is proposed. This model includes: (a) The remembered traumas and the social construction of Chinese-Canadian IGT; (b) intergenerational narrative pathways; and (c) intergenerational narrative identity construction and resilience. The study has implications for counselling psychology in the areas of narrative and multicultural research and family and trauma therapy.Education, Faculty ofEducational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department ofGraduat