Intergenerational Trauma in Gang-Affected Families

Abstract

Gang-affected families experience cycles of violence, poverty, surveillance, incarceration, and destabilized community structures, which create long-term psychological harm that spans generations. Intergenerational trauma manifests through emotional dysregulation, attachment disruptions, hypervigilance, maladaptive coping, and normalization of violence. This study synthesizes developmental trauma theory, social learning theory, epigenetic trauma models, and sociopolitical frameworks to explain how trauma is inherited behaviorally, neurologically, and culturally. Case studies from the U.S., Brazil, South Africa, and the Philippines demonstrate how systemic marginalization interacts with family trauma to perpetuate gang involvement. An Integrated Trauma Transmission Model (ITTM) is proposed to guide therapeutic interventions, policy reforms, and community-based rehabilitation.