Student stipend recipient Adhieu Arok-Adah
South Sudan is an east African country that has experienced high rates of war, violence, displacement, and political and economic instability.
Despite these challenges, its people are highly resilient, and over 30,000 South Sudanese refugees have relocated to the United States since the early 1990s. In addition to the usual challenges and complications of emigration, many South Sudanese refugees continue to suffer from the traumas they experienced while in Sudan. These traumas are often passed down to their children through a process called intergenerational transmission of trauma (ITT).
Adhieu Arok-Adah is one of these children. She was born in a refugee camp in Kenya, and her family relocated to Utah when she was eight years old. While earning her degree at Boise State University, Adhieu decided to conduct an independent research project into the effects of ITT on South Sudanese children.
“ITT can be passed from parents to children in a variety of ways,” Adhieu noted. “This can include genetics, epigenetics, and parenting practices. I decided to focus on how generational traumas are transmitted through parenting practices.”
While working on her research, Adhieu received a stipend from the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, which provides financial support for students working on a variety of public health projects across the Pacific Northwest. “This stipend gave me the freedom to focus, explore and be consumed by this project,” Adhieu explained.
Adhieu recruited fourteen study participants who were born to South Sudanese refugees and live in the United States. She conducted key informant interviews with every participant and analyzed the data.
“We found profound impacts of ITT on the family relationships of South Sudanese refugees,” Adhieu said. “Many parents who directly experienced war and displacement unintentionally project their fears and anxieties onto their children. This frequently manifests through harsh parenting styles, unrealistic expectations, and emotional unavailability.”
“Most of the study’s participants reported a sense of detachment and isolation from their parents, especially when they were younger, Adhieu noted.” Adhieu also found that many participants would bypass their parents when looking for mental health support. “A lot of participants turn to friends, cousins or siblings before they talk with their parents.”
“ITT can leave children feeling displaced from their parents, but many participants described how learning to advocate for themselves in a new country helped them forge a stronger identity and self-reliance,” Adhieu said. “Most participants also reported that their relationships with their parents improved as they moved into adulthood.” She intends to publish her research and hopes it can bring greater awareness to the mental health challenges children of South Sudanese refugees experience.
Adhieu explained several different ways this research impacted her. “Conducting this study helped me with my science identity. I haven’t always seen a lot of Africans or Black people in science, and this helped build my confidence as a researcher. I also improved my writing and interviewing skills. And even though I grew up as a refugee, this research revealed many things about the refugee experience I didn’t know.”
The Northwest Center for Public Health Practice provides funding for students involved in various public health projects. Visit Student Projects to learn more about past funded projects or to apply directly for a stipend.
