Background: The high prevalence of trauma sequelae in adult refugees is widely recognized. Concurrent to adult refugees, refugee children also demonstrate multiple mental health complications and functional impairments. Theories regarding transgenerational traumatization discuss the substantial effect of parental posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and family violence on children's mental well-being. However, further factors, such as the children's own traumatic experiences in their country of origin and their host country as well as the living conditions in exile likely play additional roles in the children'smental well-being. Question: The study aims to transgenerationally investigate the relationship of PTSD, further trauma sequelae and the experience of violence in both refugee mothers and their children. Method: Forty one refugee mothers and their children (aged 11-18 years) were separately interviewed using standardized psycho-diagnostic instruments. The children were assessed for the extent of experienced family violence, experienced traumatic events, anxiousness, depressiveness, and PTSD. The mothers were evaluated for the extent of family violence experienced during childhood, intimate partner violence experienced in the past 12 months, other traumatic experiences as well as PTSD and depressiveness. Results: The severity of maternal PTSD symptomatology did not show a direct relation with the children's PTSD symptomatology, anxiousness, or depressiveness. However, the severity of maternal PTSD symptomatology correlated positively with family violence experienced by the child. The number of different types of traumatic events as reported by the children and the extent of family violence correlate positively with the children's PTSD symptomatology, depressiveness, and anxiousness. Conclusions: The results illustrate that it is not the maternal PTSD symptomatology but rather the children's traumatic experiences - including experienced family violence - that are related to the trauma sequelae of the children. Nevertheless, maternal PTSD symptomatology is positively related to the family violence experienced by the child. Therefore, psychotherapeutic, trauma-focused interventions for both mothers and children are indicated. Furthermore, parental training can be a meaningful means to break the cycle of violence in the long term. © Hogrefe Verlag, Göttingen 2014.

Transgenerational trauma Trauma sequelae Refugee children Maternal PTSD Family violence Refugee families

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