Boost Youth Mental Health in New Zealand by Addressing Intergenerational Trauma

Aotearoa/New Zealand is facing an urgent youth mental health crisis. There are several alarming youth mental health issues in New Zealand, including increased rates and discrepancies in outcomes among cultural groups.

A 2020 UNICEF report indicated that New Zealand has the second-highest youth suicide rate among the OECD countries

Earlier reports are alarming, highlighting that Māori and Pacific youth face disproportionately high rates of depression. Some researchers also note that these issues are more prevalent among Māori and Pacific youth compared to other cultural groups.

A publication by the Health Research Council of New Zealand highlights the significant impact of historical trauma events, which researchers like O’Neill, Fraser, Kitchenham, and McDonald refer to as the “Hidden Burden” affecting Indigenous families in New Zealand.

There seems to be a call to action among researchers and health practitioners to more effectively address the youth mental health crisis.

It is crucial that policymakers, research bodies, and health institutions urgently focus on intergenerational trauma as a critical contributing factor. By deepening their understanding of its impact, they can develop more targeted and effective solutions before the situation worsens.

What is Intergenerational Trauma?

The American Psychological Association describes trauma as a response to experiencing or witnessing a tragic event, which can include (but is not exclusive to) an accident, abuse, neglect, and war. “Intergenerational trauma”, also commonly termed “transgenerational trauma”, is when adverse effects of traumatic experiences are passed down from parents to their children.

In their article “Preventing Intergenerational Trauma Transmission: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis,” Sophie Isobel, Melinda Goodyear, Trentham Furness, and Kim Foster explain that intergenerational trauma is not confined to a single generation. It can be transmitted within one generation, but its impact often extends across multiple generations and can even affect entire cultural groups. Cultural groups that have a history of being systemically oppressed are commonly referred to as having experienced historical trauma.

How is Trauma Passed Down?

There is an understanding that parents who are survivors of childhood trauma may struggle to develop appropriate parenting skills and parent-child relationships that are foundational for the child’s mental wellbeing and future relationships. This likely affects the child’s development and parenting abilities, perpetuating the cycle of trauma.

Katherine J. McLachlan in her work “Recognising the Significance of the Past: Developmental and Intergenerational Trauma” discusses that intergenerational trauma can also be regulated by stressors created in challenging environments, such as poverty and marginalisation. These environments and their effects likely persist within families from parent to child through family interactions.

Intergenerational Trauma and Youth Mental Health in New Zealand

Here are key examples and reasons why intergenerational trauma should be considered a significant contributing factor to the youth mental health crisis in New Zealand.

Colonisation and Undermining te Tiriti o Waitangi

Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a treaty signed in 1840 between European settlers and indigenous Māori, is a founding document that has shaped the current context of New Zealand. Many critics of te Tiriti have identified nonadherence to treaty agreements, contributing to the unjustified loss of Māori land and culture, as well as experiences of discrimination and racism within the Māori community.

High rates of youth suicide among the Māori community are often attributed to intergenerational trauma, which perpetuates a deep sense of hopelessness within the community. Furthermore, a 2018 study titled The Associations Between Cultural Identity and Mental Health Outcomes for Indigenous Māori Youth in New Zealand, which was based on data from a secondary school students survey, found that Māori students who reported poorer wellbeing scores also tended to experience more discrimination.

Dawn Raids

In 1974, a series of tragic incidents in New Zealand highly impacted Pacific migrants. These are commonly referred to as the “Dawn Raids”. 

During the aftermath of the Second World War, migrant and immigrant overstayers were targeted as a cause for the challenges in the economy and employment. Police forcefully entered their homes, stopped church services, and were permitted to address fears about “Polynesian-incited violence” among civilians. While the New Zealand government has since apologised for the racist initiatives, the effects are likely long-lasting and are contributing to the mental health outcomes of the Pacific community.

Domestic and Family Violence

New Zealand has high rates of domestic and family violence. According to a publicly available annual report from New Zealand Police, over 170,000 investigations into family violence were carried out from 2022 to 2023.

The New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey found that between 2021 to 2022, 23% of women had experienced intimate partner violence. Trauma effects are likely created and transmitted across generations as children witness violence and the resulting strain on parent-child relationships.

What are the Next Steps?

Currently, there is a lack of research on the effects of intergenerational trauma on youth mental health. 

Hence, it is important to first clearly identify intergenerational trauma as a contributor to the youth mental health crisis. A key question that needs investigation may be the following: are indicators of intergenerational trauma (e.g., family violence and experiences of marginalisation) associated with youth mental health issues?

Culturally appropriate interventions can also inform future initiatives for youth. “Black Rain” is Kaupapa (approach) for addressing intergenerational trauma experienced by adult Māori individuals. Its use of visualisation tools has been effective in providing an enhanced healing process.

Investigating intergenerational trauma can also provide greater importance for initiatives to maintain healthy and safe families, such as reducing family violence and supporting parents. It also includes addressing wider societal issues such as committing to te Tiriti o Waitangi. These measures will help effectively mitigate the effects of intergenerational trauma on the youth mental health crisis in New Zealand.

Sources and helpful links:

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Trauma. https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma

Tucker-Masters, L., & Tiatia-Seath, S. (2017). Reviewing the literature on anxiety and depression in Pacific youth: A fresh perspective. New Zealand Medical Student Journal, 25, 24-28. https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/40233

New Zealand Police. (2023). Annual report 2022/23. https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/annual-report-2022-2023.pdf

Theodore, R., Bowden, N., Kokaua, J., Ruhe, T., Hobbs, M., Hetrick, S., Marek, L., Wiki, J., Milne, B., Thabrew, H., & Boden, J. (2022). Mental health inequities for Māori youth: A population-level study of mental health service data. New Zealand Medical Student Journal, 135(1567), 79-90. https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/62962

jhttps://teatawhai.maori.nz/research-projects/he-kokonga-whare/

O’Neill, L., Fraser, T., Kitchenham, A., & McDonald, V. (2016). Hidden Burdens: a Review of Intergenerational, Historical and Complex Trauma, Implications for Indigenous Families. Journal of child & adolescent trauma, 11(2), 173–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-016-0117-9

Isobel, S., Goodyear, M., Furness, T., & Foster, K. (2019). Preventing intergenerational trauma transmission: A critical interpretive synthesis. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(7–8), 1100–1113. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14735

McLachlan, K. J. (2024). Recognising the significance of the past: Developmental and intergenerational trauma. In K. J. McLachlan, Trauma-informed criminal justice (pp. 65–94). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-59290-4_4

Moewaka Barnes, H., & McCreanor, T. (2019). Colonisation, hauora and whenua in Aotearoa. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 49(sup1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2019.1668439

Lawson-Te Aho, K. R. (2020). The power of hope for Māori youth suicide prevention: Preliminary themes from the Aotearoa/New Zealand HOPE studies. https://doi.org/10.26077/QGRS-EP52

Williams, A. D., Clark, T. C., & Lewycka, S. (2018). The associations between cultural identity and mental health outcomes for indigenous Māori youth in New Zealand. Frontiers in Public Health, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00319

Prebble, R. (n.d.). The dawn raids: Causes, impacts and legacy. NZHistory. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/dawn-raids

Ministry of Justice. (2023). Results drawn from Cycle 4 (2020/21) of the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey. https://www.disputestribunal.govt.nz/assets/NZCVS-Cycle-4-Core-Report-The-NZCVS-and-Cycle-4-key-findings-fin.pdf

Pouesi, F., & Dewerse, R. (2024). Black Rain: A kaupapa Māori (a Māori approach) to addressing family violence and intergenerational trauma. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 45(1), 23–30. https://doi.org/10.1002/anzf.1556