Intergenerational Trauma: The Impact of War, Poverty, and Oppression on Albanians
Intergenerational trauma refers to the passing down of psychological distress across generations, often in communities affected by war, displacement, oppression, and poverty. Holocaust survivors, Indigenous peoples, and refugees are all examples of groups carrying the weight of ancestral suffering. These shared experiences shape how individuals regulate emotions, respond to stress, and connect with others.
For Albanians, both in Albania and the diaspora, the scars of war, dictatorship, colonialism, and economic instability run deep. The fear and survival strategies we, our parents, and grandparents developed continue to shape how we think, feel, and relate today. However, there’s been little research on mental health in our community, and it's crucial to examine how recent traumatic events have impacted our collective well-being.
The Psychological Consequences of War, Poverty, Colonialism and Political Oppression
The communist dictatorship in Albania (1946–1991) was marked by political persecution, forced labor, and a culture of fear. Families were torn apart, people were imprisoned or executed, and trust in others became dangerous. The lasting effects of war and colonial influences further contributed to societal divisions and economic instability. Even after the fall of communism, economic hardship, civil war, and mass emigration forced many Albanians to restart their lives abroad while carrying unresolved trauma from both the dictatorship and the broader history of war and foreign domination.
This distress doesn’t simply fade with time. Many survivors developed deep-rooted fears, hypervigilance, and emotional suppression—traits often passed down to their children. Anxiety, depression, excessive shame, and PTSD-like symptoms are common in younger generations, even for those who never directly lived through these events.
As an Albanian psychologist, I often ask my clients if they’ve experienced trauma because it helps me understand their mental health and guide treatment. Almost always, the answer is no. When I remind them of the dictatorship, wars, and hardship their families endured, they say, “Everyone went through that.” To me, this response shows how little our community understands trauma and its effects. Many people suffer in silence, believing something is wrong with them, rather than recognizing their pain as a result of trauma. Shame and stigma keep us from acknowledging our struggles, making it harder to heal. As a community, we need to have open conversations about how these painful events continue to impact us today and affect generations who didn’t directly experience them.
How Trauma is Passed Down: Psychological, Social, and Epigenetic Pathways
Trauma isn’t just inherited through stories—it’s embedded in the way we think, feel, and relate to the world.
Psychological and Social Transmission: Parents who endured trauma often pass down fears, anxieties, and coping mechanisms without realizing it. The need to be strong, self-sufficient, and emotionally restrained may have been essential for survival but can now hinder emotional well-being and relationships. Children of trauma survivors may internalize these patterns, leading them to struggle with vulnerability, trust, and emotional expression, perpetuating a cycle of emotional distance and relational difficulties.
Family Silence and Cultural Norms: Many Albanian families don’t talk about past hardships, leaving younger generations with unanswered questions and unprocessed emotions. This silence creates uncertainty and confusion, contributing to a sense of inherited but unspoken distress. Without the opportunity to discuss and process trauma, younger generations may be left to navigate complex emotions and stress responses without the tools or language to understand them, leading to internalized anxiety and difficulty in connecting with others.
Epigenetic Influences: Early research suggests that trauma may alter gene expression in a way that increases vulnerability to stress, emotional sensitivity, and mental health issues in descendants. These biological changes highlight how trauma lingers across generations, making individuals more susceptible to emotional dysregulation, anxiety, depression, and as a result difficulties in forming healthy relationships.
Breaking the Cycle: Healing and Resilience
Healing from intergenerational trauma goes beyond just understanding the past—we need to actively work on healing and changing how we carry it forward. Psychoeducation, trauma-informed therapy, and culturally sensitive mental health care are key to processing the inherited distress. Having open conversations within families and communities is crucial for breaking the silence and allowing individuals to reclaim their stories, moving toward resilience.
The pain of the past doesn’t have to define us. By acknowledging our history, prioritizing mental health, and doing more research to understand how collective trauma has affected us, we can break the cycle of suffering. Research will help us better understand how trauma has shaped our stress responses, emotions, and relationships, enabling us to create more effective support systems. With this knowledge, we can build a stronger, healthier Albanian community for future generations.
