The Japanese American internment: Exploring the transgenerational consequences of traumatic stress

The present study investigates the cross-generational impact of the World War II Japanese American internment upon the children of those who were incarcerated. Survey data were collected from a national sample of 593 third-generation (Sansei) Japanese Americans to assess the impact of a parent's internment upon the Sansei's: (a) patterns of communication, interest, and knowledge about the internment; and (b) attitudes towards ethnic affiliation, sense of security in the United States, and monetary redress. Results indicated that strikingly little communication has occurred between the Sansei and their parents regarding the internment. In addition, although Sansei whose parents had been interned did not differ from Sansei with noninterned parents in terms of outmarriage or level of knowledge about the internment, they did report being less secure about their rights in this country, having a greater preference for affiliation with other Japanese Americans and more strongly favoring monetary redress for those who were interned. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to the existing literature on trauma and victimization.