Press Releases

Study seeks children of Vietnam veterans

Research to uncover heritable links between post traumatic stress disorder in parents and disorders such as ADHD and autism in their children is being conducted by Queensland University of Technology PhD student Ken O'Brien. Mr O'Brien, from QUT's School of Social Change Research, is seeking volunteers of children and grandchildren of Vietnam veterans to assist with his study into the social and genetic effects of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on subsequent generations. He said volunteers would be asked about their experience growing up with the aim of developing strategies to help children with emotional management disorders to develop resilience to stress. "Vietnam veterans are one of the most researched groups and have a relatively high PTSD rate," Mr O'Brien said. "However, their children have had very little research on them even though parents with PTSD often have children with emotional management conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, Asperger's syndrome and depressive and anxiety conditions." He said many Australians had PTSD in some form and it could be caused by war, armed hold-up, rape, accident, hostage situations, and even schoolyard bullying. "My research is investigating the secondary characteristics of intergenerational transference of this condition. There are many different ways PTSD can impact on children's emotional development," he said. "The language used in the family environment is a powerful influence." Mr O'Brien said the effects of PTSD appeared to be able to be passed on to children and grandchildren through genes as well as through language, social factors and parenting styles. He is incorporating the new field of epigenetics which studies the way significant environmental events can alter a person's genes which are then passed on to later generations. "My research aims to support literature that suggests an environmental event that leads to post traumatic stress disorder "switches on or off" a gene or series of genes that is then passed on to subsequent generations. "We know that ADHD has been identified on chromosome 5 in our genome. It is a gene we all have but not everyone has ADHD. It could be that this gene has not been "switched on" in the parent by a significant environmental event." Mr O'Brien said it was time experiences of people with PTSD and their children were studied to "build a bridge" between the medical model which focuses the cause of the condition on the individual, and the sociological model which focuses the cause on social institutions. "This "bridge" can bring the two models closer together to forge appropriate and relevant management strategies." To be involved in Mr O'Brien's study please contact him on: k3.obrien@qut.edu.au. Media contact: Niki Widdowson, QUT media officer, 07 3138 1841 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au.

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