The Role of Transgenerational Transmission in the Psychological Adjustment of Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Suffering from cancer is a traumatic event for the affected person and can result in a whole series of psychological difficulties, and invasive methods of treatment further deepen them. The previously experienced psychological trauma of a close person can influence the response of a person who is currently experiencing trauma because the far-reaching power of post-traumatic consequences extends through a natural biological barrier far into the next generation (the so-called “transgenerational impact of traumatization”). Sufferers often transfer their fears to their children, changing their responses, with the development of anxiety and depression, especially in traumatic situations (such as when dealing with cancer). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients who have had a family member with cancer can be reactivated PTSD, developed in the past by living with a close person who was treated for cancer, but it can also manifest itself as a new disorder. By including cancer patients in psychotherapy procedures, we can prevent the development of more severe psychological responses in the second generation, which due to the genetic influence in the inheritance of the disease, will develop cancer and the psychological disorder associated with it, and have a far-reaching effect on strengthening adaptation mechanisms.