Narrative Themes of Chinese Canadian Intergenerational Trauma: Parental Experiences

ABSTRACTIn a series of two papers, the narrative themes of Intergenerational Trauma (IGT) from both the parent and offspring generation in the Chinese diaspora in Canada are examined. This paper focuses on the experiences of parental participants and their perspectives on how trauma transmits to the next generation. Narratives of IGT from three participants were co-constructed using the Collaborative Narrative Method. The narratives were largely situated during pre-migration in China, with most traumatic experiences related to sociopolitical events between the 1950s to 1980s. Themes were developed from the narratives using reflexive thematic analysis. These themes include the following: (a) decimation of social structures; (b) oppression, chaos, and abuse; (c) desperation for survival; (d) personal losses and the denial of education and opportunities; and (e) preservation of values. Themes associated with participant perception of how their traumatic experience transmitted to their offspring, include the following: (a) desire for stability and opportunities; (b) pressure and concern for the future of their offspring; and (c) hope for the future. The study has implications for understanding the linkage between historical events and individual narratives in the Chinese diaspora, as well as the study of IGT among Chinese populations and their narratival understandings.KEYWORDS: Intergenerational traumanarrative researchChinese Canadiansthematic analysisparental narrative AcknowledgementFunding for this project was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant # 752-2015-2442 and the Vancouver Foundation, grant certificate # UNR15-0667.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Supplemental dataSupplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2022.2160431Notes1. From 1968 to 1980, 17 million teenagers and former Red Guards were sent to the countryside to work in labour camps (Dikötter, Citation2016).Additional informationFundingThe work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [752-2015-2442]; Vancouver Foundation under Field of Interest Participatory Action Research Convene [UNR15-0667].Notes on contributorsF. ChouFred Chou is an assistant professor of counselling psychology at the University of Victoria. His research and clinical interests are in intergenerational trauma, narrative approaches to psychotherapy and research, and Asian mental health in Canada. He is also a registered psychologist in the province of British Columbia.M. BuchananMarla J. Buchanan is a professor of counselling psychology in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests are in the field of traumatic stress studies, with a focus on childhood trauma, refugee trauma, and intergenerational trauma.M. McDonaldMarvin McDonald is an associate professor of counselling psychology in the School of Graduate Studies at Trinity Western University. He publishes in areas of theoretical psychology, spirituality and health, and professional issues in counselling.M. WestwoodMarla J. Buchanan is a professor of counselling psychology in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests are in the field of traumatic stress studies, with a focus on childhood trauma, refugee trauma, and intergenerational trauma.C. HuangMarvin Westwood is a professor emeritus of counselling psychology in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education at the Univer¬sity of British Columbia. His areas of focus include group-based approaches for counselling, traumatic stress, and men’s psychological health.Carmen Huang is a registered clinical counsellor and a graduate of the counselling psychology program at the University of British Columbia.