Intergenerational trauma hispanic4/16/2024 While the classes helped, they still relied on Gonzalez to translate documents that came in the mail or from the doctor.Īssimilation: The Migration Policy Institute explains assimilation as the integration of people or culture into a dominant culture and society. In the U.S., they took English classes at night. Gonzalez said before her parents came to the U.S., her mother was studying to be a nurse and her father was a civil engineer in Guadalajara, Mexico, but they didn't speak English. "There is a lot of pressure to be that person for your family, so later on, a lot of folks, like first-generation professionals, really struggle with asking for help," Vanessa Pezo, a licensed trauma therapist based in Long Beach, said. Parentification: This is when a child is obliged to act as a parent to their own parent or sibling, perhaps translating at a doctor's appointment or filing taxes for a parent who doesn't speak English. Here are some common experiences of children of immigrants that can contribute to first-generation trauma or stress: Zamarripa suggests using the terms first-generation trauma or first-generation stress depending on a person's unique experiences. He added: "In our effort to educate, we don't want to promote or perpetuate a narrative that we're just walking around as individuals that are significantly damaged or traumatized." "Trauma is a heavy-hitting word," Zamarripa said. They cite the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration which defines trauma as an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects. "Stress" could be a more appropriate word than "trauma," some experts said. It's more about the specific experience of the children who struggle to reconcile the culture clashes between American society and their immigrant households. There isn't a definition of the term because it hasn't been widely explored yet, Manuel Zamarripa director and co-founder of the Institute of Chicana/o/x Psychology said. In those same spaces are the conversations on generational (or intergenerational) trauma, which differs from first-generation trauma because it is trauma passed down through generations. It tends to be found with the hashtag #firstgen. The conversation about first-generation trauma is emerging in the Latino community, specifically in social media spaces focused on improving mental health. One-on-one therapy sessions gave Gonzalez the space to understand herself, acknowledge her feelings, and develop healthy coping strategies.įor people whose struggles feel similar to Gonzalez's, The Times asked Southern California trauma therapists and an academic about how to define first-generation trauma, what causes it and how people can heal. According to mental health professionals, these experiences can range from stressors to traumas and can be caused by experiences inside the home or out in society. What connects these struggles is that they affect children of immigrants - typically but not always the first born, and the first to navigate certain aspects of American society. Erika Cruz talks about the dependency that immigrant parents have with their first-generation children. Gina Moreno talks about breaking the cycle of self-neglect as a first-generation Latina on TikTok. Gonzalez shares her point of view about her traumas on TikTok and Instagram. But Gonzalez and others are bonding over a shared experience. There are differing definitions of who is considered "first generation," often dependent on whether they are born outside the U.S. It's a colloquial term some Latino Americans use to describe the emotional struggles of children whose parents are immigrants. Gonzalez and others in the Latino community are taking to social media to share their understanding and experience of first-generation trauma. She describes herself as the advocate for her family. She set the standard for what her siblings could achieve academically and personally. "A lot of it was because I was put on a pedestal for a very long time due to being the first born and having so much responsibility," Gonzalez said.Īs the oldest of four children, Gonzalez's dad referred to her as the leader of the pack. Through nine months of therapy sessions, she learned that her pressures came in part from her position in her family. Gonzalez, a child of immigrant parents, would tell herself to "pull it together because had to make parents' sacrifices worth it." She couldn't cope with these feelings.Īt the time, Gonzalez was studying osteopathic medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona and sought professional help from one of the school's therapists. Those feelings were always followed by a crushing wave of guilt.
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