Ushering a Witness: A Psychosocial Theory of Maternal Intrafamily Trauma Communication in the Refugee Family System

Abstract

The ways that families communicate about traumatic experiences is a critical social process. Intrafamily trauma communication encompasses approaches through which family members share and respond to difficult past experiences. We examined the embedded communication processes and actions of war-affected Karen maternal caregivers living post-resettlement in the United States, as they described disclosures of torture and war trauma experiences to their children. Using a modified approach to a constructivist-oriented grounded theory, we analyzed 33 in-depth qualitative interviews. Narrative experiences of mothers and synthesized storylines shaped a psychosocial theory of maternal intrafamily trauma communication, Ushering a Witness. The core category was depicted by the coalescence of three distinct conceptual, temporal phases and corresponding properties: (a) Appraising: Communication decision-making, (b) (Co-)Constructing: Act of communicating, and (c) Amending: Developing awareness and reevaluating purpose, response, and approach to communication. Findings will facilitate further exploration of the relationships between the intergenerational effects of trauma and intergenerational communication.