Whether and when disclosing the trauma to one's children in a migratory context? A pilot mixed methods investigation.

BACKGROUND: Disclosing traumatic events experienced by parents to their children is a central issue in the intergenerational trauma transmission. However, little is known about this question among migrant population. The main objective of this study was to examine the choice to disclose the traumatic experiences of migrant women in France to their children. METHODS: This pilot study examined fourteen mother-child dyads in which migrant mothers (M = 30 years; range = 19-42 years) were exposed to traumatic events. A sequential mixed method design was used. In addition to the completion of the Impact Event Scale-Revised, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. These data were analyzed using thematic and cross-cultural methods. The survey took place from May 2019 to July 2020. RESULTS: Our study revealed three profiles of mothers with regard to the choice to disclose the traumatic story to the child: one group of mothers opted for silence (n = 4), the other for disclosure (n = 7) and the last group who were hesitant (n = 3). The modalities of choice were statistically associated with the severity of the post-traumatic stress symptoms, F (2, 11) = 4,62, p < .05. Specifically, women who made the choice of silence (M = 72.75, SD = 4.99) and those hesitated on the choice to disclosure (M = 71.33, SD = 7.51) reported higher scores on IES-R than those who made the choice to disclosure (M = 59.86, SD = 12.44). Six main themes emerged from the thematic and cross-cultural analysis of participants' narratives: (1) the personalization of the traumatic experience, (2) the child seen as a weapon against collapse, (3) the fear of the child's personal reactions, (4) the possible partial disclosure, (5) the trauma narrative according to the child's age, and (6) the trap of the in-between two cultures. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the recovery of these mothers from their trauma, through culturally appropriate therapeutic care, can effectively contribute to the choice to disclose their traumatic experiences to their children. This treatment can support them in developing open and healthy communication strategies to prevent the transmission of traumatic effects to their children.

[Place of the father in the transmission of trauma from mother to baby in a migratory]. / Place du père en contexte migratoire dans la transmission du trauma de la mère au bébé.

Paternal involvement impacts the relationship between mother and child and protects the transmission of the traumatic experience in a migratory context. A study was conducted in France with mother-child dyads in which the women were exposed to traumatic events. It identified three themes around the metatheme of the father's place: the husband's function as moral support during migration, his cultural function as a relay for his wife to the child, and the maintenance of the bond despite his physical absence.

The Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma: The Effects of Maternal PTSD in Mother-Infant Interactions.

The objective of the study was to examine the process of mother to infant trauma transmission among traumatized mothers in humanitarian contexts. We investigated the impact of mothers' post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms on the quality of the dyadic interaction by conducting a microanalysis of mother-infant interactions at specific moments when trauma was recalled, compared to more neutral moments. Twenty-four mother-infant dyadic interactions of traumatized mothers and children aged from 1.5 to 30 months Central Africa, Chad, and Cameroon were videotaped during three sequences: a neutral initial session (baseline) exploring mothers' representations of the infant and of their bonding; a second sequence, "the traumatic narration," in which mothers were asked to talk about the difficult events they had experienced; and a third sequence focusing on a neutral subject. Three minutes of each sequence were coded through a specific grid for microanalysis [based on the scales developed at Bobigny Faculty of Medicine and the work of (1)], according to different communication modalities (touch, visual, and vocal), for both the mother and the child. Impact of traumatic event (IES-R), the level of depression and anxiety (HAD) were investigated in order to have a holistic understanding of the trauma transmission mechanism. The data analysis highlighted significant differences in mothers, children and their interaction during the "traumatic narration": mothers touched and looked at the infant less, looked more absent and smiled less, and looked less at the interviewer; infants looked less at the interviewer, and sucked the breast more. The mother-child interaction "infant self-stimulation-mother looks absent" and "Infant sucks the breast-mother looks absent" occurred more often during the mothers' traumatic narrations. The "absence" of the mother during trauma recall seems to have repercussions on infants' behavior and interaction; infants show coping strategies that are discussed. We found no significant associations between interaction and infant gender and age, the severity of traumatic experience, mothers' depression and anxiety symptoms, and the country of residence. The results of the microanalysis of interaction can shed light on the fundamental role of intermodal exchanges between mother and infant in trauma transmission during mothers' trauma reactivation.

[Drawing in the elaboration of psychological trauma in a humanitarian context]. / Le dessin dans l'élaboration du traumatisme psychique en contexte humanitaire.

In humanitarian contexts where children are exposed to major traumatic events, psychological care is fundamental to enable them to escape psychological and social isolation. A group care system, that also offers time dedicated to drawing, shows how children can find the necessary internal and external resources that will help them to restore their confidence in a possible future.

[Cultural countertransference faced with mother-baby interactions during play sessions]. / Le contre-transfert culturel face aux interactions mère-bébé lors de séances de jeu.

The role of the cultural countertransference of researchers with regard to the subject of their study must be taken into consideration. The analysis of one's own emotions and reactions, loaded with cultural representations, thereby enables the research subject's singularity and cultural specificity to be respected. The results are therefore more objective and not so readily influenced by a particular culture.

[Disclosure and silence, protecting the baby from trauma transmission?] / Dévoilement et silence, protéger le bébé de la transmission traumatique.

The differences in how parents communicate their traumatic experience, through silence or by disclosure, play a fundamental role in the transgenerational transmission of trauma. Research into the transmission of trauma from mother to baby, in a humanitarian context, shows the importance of adapting the disclosure of the narrative of the mother's traumatic experience, which appears to be the most appropriate solution for protecting babies.

Silence, Rebellion, and Acting-Out of a Silenced Past: Understanding the French Riots From a Postcolonial and Transcultural Perspective.

Context and Objectives: According to a sociological study, the adolescents involved in the "suburban riots" of November 2005 were French nationals with a foreign background, including 55% of North African descent. Numerous attempts to interpret the "riots" have been made, but none of them has discussed the impact of the "silenced" colonial history on their filiation. For this reason, the present research set out to overcome this shortfall. Methods: Using a complementarist, transcultural, qualitative research methodology, 15 interviews with French adolescents of Algerian descent were analysed. Results, Analysis and Discussion: The analysis of these interviews highlighted the impact of the past violence in France's colonial history on family dynamics and intergenerational relationships, which seemed to play a crucial role in the unconscious component of transmission within these families. This discovery led us to a new understanding of the 2005 revolt, envisaging it as a symptom of a disorder situated on several levels: on the level of subjectivity, of trans-generational relationships, and also on the level of social cohesion within French society. The interviews showed how the young interviewees related their current anger to French colonial and post-colonial history. Conclusions: These observations led to a new understanding of the "riots" as a form of acting-out of anger linked to contemporary and past experiences of domination and exclusion.

[Countertransference reactions faced with traumatised mothers and their babies in Central Africa]. / Réactions contre-transférentielles face aux mères traumatisées et à leurs bébés en Centrafrique.

In Central Africa, a team of psychosocial workers provides psychological support to traumatised mothers and their babies. They experience significant countertransferences, particularly when patients' accounts remind them of traumatic events they themselves have lived through. The emotions and the intensity felt by the team demonstrate the need for specific supervision in this context.

[Drawing with children in situations of war]. / Le dessin avec les enfants en situation de guerre.

In situations of conflict, children are subjected to or witness acts of violence and traumatic events. In the care systems put in place in this context, drawing is an effective means of enabling children to express their emotions and favours a process of restoration.