Posted in Into the Mind

Psychological traces of war: how trauma from the front affects generations

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War is not just a clash of weapons and strategies – it is also a deep impact on the human psyche, the echoes of which linger long after the last shot has been fired. For those who fought on the fronts of the First or Second World War, it became an essential part of their identity. But the trauma of these experiences does not stop with the individuals – it is passed on to their children, grandchildren and sometimes to whole societies. How do these psychological traces manifest themselves and what do we know about them today?

Voices from the past

Imagine a soldier returning from the battle lines of Verdun in 1916 – one of the bloodiest engagements of the First World War. Every day he faced constant bombardment, the sight of torn bodies and the knowledge that surviving another day was uncertain. When he returned home, he was expected to “get back to normal.” But normal no longer existed. Many suffered from what was then called “war shock” – now known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nightmares, anxiety attacks and the inability to resume their pre-war lives became their daily routine.

These stories are not just historical anecdotes. According to a 2018 study by the National Center for PTSD, up to 30% of veterans from various conflicts, including World War II, the Vietnam War, and more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffer from PTSD. And perhaps more surprisingly, these effects are not limited to them.

Trauma across generations

Scientists today talk about the so-called transgenerational transmission of trauma. This phenomenon describes how emotional and psychological trauma can be transmitted from parents to children – sometimes even epigenetically, through stress-induced changes in gene expression. Research by Rachel Yehuda of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 2016, focusing on Holocaust survivors and their offspring, showed that the children of these survivors had lower levels of cortisol (a hormone associated with stress) and a higher susceptibility to anxiety and depression – even when they had not experienced trauma themselves. These epigenetic changes suggest that extreme stress can leave an “imprint” in DNA that is passed on.

A 2020 study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, which examined families of Vietnam veterans, came to similar conclusions. Researchers found that children of veterans with PTSD showed up to a 40% higher risk of psychological problems, including aggression and social anxiety, compared to children of parents without war experience. How does this work in practice? Consider the example of a father who returned from war in silence and distance. He may never have spoken about what he saw, but his irritability, nightly screaming or inability to show affection shaped the atmosphere of the home. Children grew up in an environment where something was ‘wrong’ without knowing exactly what. This unspoken shadow may then have followed them into their own lives – in the form of insecurity, fear of proximity or hypersensitivity to conflict.

Society under the weight of the past

Transgenerational trauma manifests itself not only in families but also in entire nations. Just look at countries that have gone through devastating wars – for example, Germany after the Second World War or Vietnam after its conflict with the US. Collective memory, a sense of guilt, shame or, conversely, pride, shapes culture and politics even decades later. Research in 2019 from the University of Sarajevo examined the impact of the Bosnian War (1992-1995) and found that young people born after the conflict exhibit higher levels of distrust of authority and ethnic tensions, reflecting their parents’ unresolved trauma.

In the former Yugoslavia, these traces are still evident today in tensions between ethnic groups whose roots go back to the events of the 1990s. Modern psychology also examines this phenomenon in the context of narratives. The stories that nations tell each other – whether celebratory or cautionary – keep the trauma alive. In Russia, for example, the Great Patriotic War (World War II) is still a key part of national identity today, influencing not only politics but also perceptions of contemporary conflicts.

Hope for healing

Understanding these traces is the first step towards overcoming them. Today, there are therapies aimed not only at veterans but also at their families. Narrative exposure, which helps to process traumatic memories, or family therapy, which opens a dialogue between generations, show promising results. A 2021 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry showed that a combination of these approaches can reduce PTSD symptoms in veterans by 25% while improving family relationships. On a societal level, education and the arts play a role – films, books and memorial events can help transform a painful legacy into something that fosters empathy and understanding.

War leaves scars that are not visible at first sight. They are not just broken buildings or lost lives, but also the silent burdens carried by survivors – and those who came after them. Perhaps it is by understanding these psychological traces that we can better understand not only the past, but ourselves.

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