Parental reflective function as a mechanism of intergenerational trauma

Intergenerational trauma (when a trauma survivor's children are more likely to experience traumathemselves or associated consequences) is a widespread and insidious societal phenomenon.However, mechanisms of intergenerational trauma remain poorly understood. This thesis exploredwhether a specific parenting skill, parental reflective function (PRF), could be a potential mechanismof intergenerational trauma. This was achieved by first systematically reviewing the strength ofevidence for associations between a parent's experience of childhood trauma, their PRF, andwellbeing of their children. Experts were then consulted to better understand safety precautions.Finally, we conducted our own survey with parents to test this theory.