Transgenerational Transmission of Disaster Experience Through Family Narratives

Transgenerational Transmission of Disaster Experience
Transgenerational Transmission of Mount Pinatubo Eruption
Disaster Experience in Filipino Families:
On How Disaster Experience is transmitted
Across a Generation through Narratives.
Jun Angelo Sunglao
Ateneo de Manila University

Transgenerational Transmission of Disaster Experience 2
Abstract
The Philippines has a long history of dealing with natural disasters. Natural disasters can
affect us deeply and immensely, enough for it to be traumatic. Disaster experience has
been shown that its effects can be transmitted across generation through the use of
narratives. In this study, two parent-child pairs were interviewed to see what are the
disaster narratives the parents have from their experience and how did these narratives
affect their children. Family became the most salient theme among both parents
interviewed. The childrens narratives on the other hand showed differing results wherein
ones narrative was purely information while the other showed positive outcomes from
their parents narrative. This illustrated how transmitted disaster experience can manifest
itself in different ways, not just negatively. Even though rich emotions were found on the
parents narratives, these emotions were not necessarily seen with the children. In fact,
the children themselves make meanings out of their parents narratives.
Keywords: Disaster experience, transmission, trauma, Mount Pinatubo, family

Introduction
Background of the Study
The Philippines has a long history of dealing with different kinds of natural
disasters. Typhoons, earthquakes, flooding, and even volcanic eruptions are among the
many calamities that hit our country. Each year, thousands of Filipinos lives are derailed
by natural disasters. People lose their homes and are forced to evacuate. People lose
property and their sources of income such as our farmers in the provinces who lose their
harvest after a storm. There are some that lose their loved ones. The experience becomes
devastating. The people who survived now are the ones to rebuild. But rebuilding doesnt
take away the experience.
Natural disasters leave lasting effects on the people it hit, especially those living in
rural communities. Memories of the disaster remain in these victims. In those memories
are the experiences. Experiences become narratives. In these narratives lie something
more than the disaster itself but of the life that happened after. Narratives have the ability
to construct the world we live in. It also has the capability to change those of others as
well (Willig, 2008).
Review of Related Literature
This section will define and describe what is disaster experience and
trauma in terms of natural disasters. It will be followed by related literature on the impact
of disasters trauma to the individual and its transmission across generations. Finally, how
trauma affects the family relationship and family narrative will be discussed.
Natural Disaster Experience. The experience of natural disasters causes severe
disruptions in the physical, psychological, and ecological aspects of peoples lives. These
disruptions exceed the ability to cope of the affected community (Howard et al., 2000;
Ladrigo-Ignacio, 2011). To the individual, disasters can have substantial effects on the
physical and mental health of victims (Kukihara, Yamawaki, Uchiyama, Arai, &
Horikawa, 2014). Victims of natural disasters also experience enormous stress due to
forced evacuations and permanent relocations, loss of loved ones, sources of livelihood,
property, and even whole communities (Howard et al., 2000; Cordova, 1995)
Feelings of helplessness may emerge amidst the natural disaster (Braga, Mello, &
Fiks, 2012). The destruction and chaos natural disasters bring can push victims to
internalise the feeling of powerlessness (Cordova, 1995) which makes them more
susceptible to stress and less likely to be motivated to rebuild after (J. Atkinson, Nelson,
& Atkinson, 2010).
The experience of the disaster is not only personal, it is also social (Boasso,
Overstreet, & Ruscher, 2015). The shared experience of trauma can help communities
band together in recovering from it (Chua, n.d.; Howard et al., 2000; Barrameda, 1996).
There are cases though that shared experience of trauma and disasters can help make the
memory of it stronger. Although a community can help in recovering (Howard et al.,
2000; Nahar et al., 2014), shared experiences can create more distress than recovery
(Boasso et al., 2015). The shared experience of a trauma can serve as both a constant
reminder of facing the ordeal, including remembering the hardships, and losses and of
camaraderie in the face of unknown trials (Boasso et al., 2015; Risler, Kintzle, &
Nackerud, 2014). Shared experiences can shape how a community grows. Certain cultural
aspects and narratives might become entwined with the experience of disaster (Gallardo,
2015).
After the onslaught of the natural disaster, the wake of its destruction still remain.
Rubble and debris usually scatter the roads and fields. People try to go back to their old
homes and towns when it is deemed safe. Survivors try to salvage what they can.
Communities try to gather what is left and what can still be useful. It is at this point where
communities, families, and individuals try to bring the life back together. Those who were
affect try to move forward.
Years, and even decades, after the experience, narratives of disasters still remain
in those it affected the most (Bezo & Maggi, 2015). The disaster becomes remembered in
what it left behind. It could be new clippings, footage, and photos of the disaster and its
aftermath. It could be the people who survived the ordeal and since then have turned their
experiences into narratives (Fuertes, 2014). The experiences are survived as narratives of
those who have experienced it. Some turn to narrative as a way of coping and working
past the incident. Others lived experiences become stories after years and years of
retelling. The narrative of the disaster experience contain the lived experiences of
surviving after a devastating natural disaster. It contains what happened after the incident
and in these stories we find how disasters affect the narrative of the person.
Trauma. Trauma emerges as a result of stressful experiences that overwhelm the
individual over a prolonged period of time and can cause significant impairment
(Gingrich, 2006; Harville, Jacobs, & Boynton-Jarrett, 2015). Trauma is a consequence of
facing stressful events, such as disasters. The stressful event and experience can be one of
many kinds. It could be first-hand experience such as being the victim of a disaster
(Kukihara et al., 2014). It could be through hearing about stories and being a witness to
horrible events (Harville et al., 2015). It could be being part of the community that did
face traumatic experiences even without facing the experiences first-hand. (J. Atkinson et
al., 2010).
Victims of natural disaster become prone to trauma. Situations of extreme duress
such as relocating, evacuating, losing loved ones, losing properties, and the like can all be
traumatic for victims (Nahar et al., 2014). One major characteristic of trauma is its
persistence for prolonged periods of time even after the actual experience of trauma
(Kellermann, 2001). It could lie dormant for years and then appear after events that
remind the victim of the original experience.
Trauma affects multiple facets of ones well-being, not just psychological.
Physical, mental, and even spiritual aspects of an individual are also affected. Victims of
trauma are left to pick up pieces of themselves and try to reassemble them together into
something as close to their former selves (Cavalli, 2012).
Disaster trauma differentiates itself from other forms of trauma through its
widespread impact on the community and the landscape.(Matthieu, Conroy, Lewis,
Ivanoff, & Blackmore, 2007; Nahar et al., 2014) Although all trauma affects the
individual personally, disaster trauma leaves behind destruction to whole towns and
cities. It disrupts communities and other social institutions such as government offices,
schools, and churches. It strips down a community back to its core: the individuals and
families that live in it who are now tasked with rebuilding what was destroyed. The
respective cultures within these communities absorbs the traumatic incident (Kukihara et
al., 2014) and makes it part of their own, transforming it into a narrative so it is easily
digested by the people (Murray, 2008).
Intergenerational Transmission of Disaster Trauma. Studies have shown that
trauma can be transmitted (Bezo & Maggi, 2015; Braga et al., 2012; Cavalli, 2012).
Trauma across communities have shown that it can be transmitted across space. Even
with the absence of the origin of the trauma, communities after traumatic experiences,
such as disasters, tend to create social support systems consisting of individuals who
experienced the trauma. It produces an environment characterized by affected individuals
seeking support from other survivors (Boasso et al., 2015). In situations like this, the
boundaries between the individual seeking support and the social supporter are blurred. It
would also be possible that the social supporter is also seeking support and an opportunity
to process the experience.
Signs of trauma have also been identified on first responders, social workers, and
the like (Boasso et al., 2015; Nahar et al., 2014). The act of listening to narratives of
trauma an also result in traumatization of the individual (Boasso et al., 2015). They are
exposed to trauma and distressed narratives that are very vivid and emotionally taxing.
There also lies the possibility that one incorporates the trauma narrative to their own.
Listening to trauma narrative may serve as a reminder of ones own trauma especially if
the narratives are reminiscent of ones experience (Boasso et al., 2015).
Apart from sharing trauma through communities, trauma has also been identified
to have been transmitted across generations. Trauma from one generation passing on the
next has been widely studied (Cavalli, 2012). Research has shown that the transmission
occurs from parent to child (Bezo & Maggi, 2015; Bombay, Matheson, & Anisman,
2009; Cavalli, 2012; Kahane-Nissenbaum, 2011; Prager, 2015). The parent is the one that
experiences the trauma first-hand while the child experiences their parents trying to
recover form it (Cavalli, 2012). The transmission of trauma can happen within the family
(Fossion et al., 2015).
Family has shown to be an integral part of the intergenerational transmission of
trauma (Cavalli, 2012; Kellermann, 2001). Trauma across generations usually imply
trauma transmitted to the child from the parent. This transmission happens through the
early life of the child. It has been implicated that the attachment and parenting style of the
parent mediates this interaction of trauma (Bombay et al., 2009). Although not all
intergenerational transmission of trauma happens in childhood (Kahane-Nissenbaum,
2011), its effects on the child will echo throughout his or her life. Children learn
vicariously through observing and learning from their parents (Kellermann, 2001). Also,
children learn their coping strategies, and adapting methods through their parents.
In disasters, this becomes exacerbated by the social aspect of the trauma. The
trauma now does not only originate from the parents own trauma but also from the
communitys. The shared trauma affects its constituents. For the parent, it becomes a
place where one can try to look for support or ruminate in the negative experience they
have encountered (Kahane-Nissenbaum, 2011). For the child, they witness a community
that has been reshaped because of the disaster. The disaster becomes part of the narrative
of the community. As the child is part of the community, the narrative is part of him/her
as well. (Cavalli, 2012)
The first generation of trauma victims, the people who have experienced the
traumatic incident first hand, have managed to survive the ordeal. They have moved
forward in their respective lives. But the memories and experiences of the natural disaster
still remain (Bombay et al., 2009). These experiences and memories can manifest in many
ways (Karavia, 2007). It could be manifested in the fears and anxieties they have (Baum,
2015). Their expectations and perspective on succeeding natural disasters would also
change. The experience of natural disasters for the parents would affect what kind of
parenting and attachment styles they have for the child (Kahane-Nissenbaum, 2011;
Kellermann, 2001). Their narrative of the disaster would then be the narrative they would
tell their children. The child would grow up in the way their parents raise them. Their
narrative would be intertwined with the narrative of their parents, even the narrative of
the disaster experience.
Theoretical Framework
The Use of Narratives. Narratives are the core of transgenerational trauma.
Narratives can be defined as an organized interpretation of a sequence of events (Murray,
2008). Both experience of disaster and of trauma can only be fully captured through the
use of narratives.
Polkinghorne (1998) notes that narratives are created to bring order and meaning
to constantly changing interpretations of our experiences. Murray (2008) agrees and states
that the primary function of narratives is to bring order to disorder. Due to the nature of
the research, dealing with trauma and disaster experiences, especially those of decades
past, narratives offers us an avenue to delve into those meanings and experiences.
Narrative allows the victims of trauma to write their experiences in their own terms.
For the parent, narratives will be the main way they can access old emotions,
memories, and experiences of how the disaster affected them. For the child, narratives
was the main medium of transmission of the experience of the trauma for them. Through
the stories of their parents, they learned the emotions, experiences, and life story of their
parents after the disaster. They can only then relay it through narrative as well.
Local literature have used storytelling, or pakikipagkwentuhan as a way of
narrating their experiences (Chua, n.d.; Fuertes, 2014; Ladrigo-Ignacio, 2011; Cordoba,
1995). In a study by Fuertes (2014), there was relief in being able to tell the story.
Narratives do not just connect the dots with ones owns experiences. It connects you to
others with similar experiences. (R. Atkinson, 2002)

Narratives also give space to help the parent fill in the blanks in their memory
should there be lapses or forgotten details. Polkinghorne (1988) mentions how narratives
are a fundamental scheme for linking human actions to events and integrate them as a
whole. I would dare go further that narratives also offer an integration of the responses
that society made in light of the disaster experience.
Narratives also are well equipped at illustrating the presence of tension in the
experiences of the person (Murray, 2008). Tensions may arise from the parent if he still
has unresolved issues and emotions due to the disaster. It could also arise and manifest
through family problems which could illustrate transmitted trauma.
Lastly, narratives empower the individual. Narratives give the parent the power to
tell his or her story in their own terms. It allows both parents to tell the story about
themselves and of others in his disaster experience (Murray, 2008). It provides a sense of
self that is crucial in the study of disasters and traumatic experiences. This illustrates how
the parent participates in the construction of his own identity, and how much the disaster
experience plays a role in the process.
Models of Transmission. Kellermann (2001) uses a model of transmission of
trauma with four major components; psychodynamic, sociocultural, family systems, and
biological. For the purposes of this study, I will be using three of the four:
psychodynamic, sociocultural, and family systems. The biological model will not be
included due to the narrative nature of the study. Genetic factors in the transmission of
trauma and hereditary etiology in mental illnesses would not be covered in this study.
What is important is the narratives the parent and the child relay regarding their
experience of disaster.
Psychodynamic and relational model. The psychodynamic model focuses on the
unresolved emotions and trauma that the parent may still hold on to which then is passed
on to the child (Kellermann, 2001). The child then unconsciously absorbs repressed and
unwanted experiences of the parent. The child is also raised by a matrix of unhealthy
relationships due to the parents unresolved emotions. The child struggles to maintain
attempts at a healthy relationship with his/her parents(King et al., 2015). They also try to
maintain their sense of identity amidst all the unresolved issues that may be passed on to
them (Kahane-Nissenbaum, 2011).
Sociocultural and socialization in the family model. The sociocultural model
focuses on how children of survivor form their own images of through how their parents
raise them or rear them when they were little (Kellermann, 2001). These could be various
fears, taboos, narratives, prohibition, and anxieties. This model focuses on the direct
effect of parents they have on their child. Studies such as the one by Bezo and Maggi
(2015) shows the effect of childrearing and parenting on to the behaviour of the child.
Children may have taken within themselves some of the behaviours that their parents
exhibited to them.
Impact of Community. Outside of Kellermans theory (2001), the impact of
society to the way one copes with trauma have been heavily documented (Balfe &
Tantam, 2010; Boasso et al., 2015; Pratt, Johnston, & Banta, 2015). Kellermann (2001)
focuses on how the sociocultural aspect of transmission of trauma affect the family. The
social setting and community the parent bonds with after the natural disaster would shape
how he copes (Smith et al., 2014a). It goes beyond family and refocuses itself on the
person. Vicarious trauma becomes a major concern.(Smith et al., 2014b)

Family Systems Model. The last model, family systems and communication,
focuses on how both unconscious and conscious parental transmission of trauma occurs in
the family environment. Parents become overly committed to the family and to the
children while the children become overly concerned with the parents well-being
(Kellermann, 2001). Both sides are trying to shield each other from painful experiences
and memories (Kahane-Nissenbaum, 2011).
Statement of the Problem
This study attempts to investigate how the narrative of the disaster experience
emerge in the next generation. It aims to explore how narratives of the lived experience of
the disaster affect the children of its survivors (add to this). In particular it will attempt to
answer the following questions:
1. How does the narrative of disaster experience emerge in the next generation?
2. How does disaster experience become entwined in the family narrative?
Significance of the Study
The current research on the transmission of disaster experience has been lacking.
One of the purpose of the study is to add to current existing literature on the transmission
of disaster experience. Although the Philippines is regularly hit by natural disasters
affecting millions of Filipinos. Only a few of such studies exist locally. An exploration on
the effect of transmitted disaster experience can help build future studies.
Methods
Research Design
As stated in the theoretical framework, narratives are at the core of the study. A
narrative inquiry was done to help uncover the stories and narratives of transgenerational
transmission of disaster experience among a parent and child. Life story interviews were
conducted to both parent and child. These life stories were about the disaster experience
the parent has experienced and the narrative of child of those said life stories.
Participants
Three parent-child pair were interviewed for the purposes of the study. The
parents must have experience of the eruption and was in Pampanga when the volcano
erupted. The child cannot be born yet and must be at least of adolescent age. Of the three
pairs of participants, only two fitted the inclusion criteria of the study. All parents
interviewed had experienced the eruption of Mount Pinatubo twenty-four (24) years ago.
All of them were residents of Pampanga at the time of the incident but lived in different
parts of the province. Currently, all of the parents still live in Pampanga. Two of the three
children interviewed were adolescents and was not yet born during the eruption. While
the last one was already an adult (31 years old) and had lived experience of the eruption.
Data collected from the last child and her respective parent will not be used for this study.
The parent-child pairs used in this study would be using aliases to protect their identity
and preserve confidentiality. They are Ana (parent)-Julia (child) and Tess-Gelo. Ana was
owned a sari-sari store at the time and was home during the eruption. Tess was working at
a McDonalds in San Fernando city when the eruption occurred. The children were both
not yet born at this time

Setting
Mount Pinatubo. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo happened over 24 years ago on
June 15, 1991. The country was still recovering from a massive earthquake in the north of
Luzon that devastated multiple major cities including Baguio and from a strong typhoon
which devastated the Visayan islands, claiming thousands of lives. The eruption of Mount
Pinatubo covered miles and miles of land with volcanic ash and lahar flow destroyed not
just homes but towns, farmlands, and even ancestral lands of the local Aetas. It left many
homeless and jobless. Many evacuated to the nearby cities to seek refuge but the
experience of the disaster still remain in them. Twenty-four years later, narratives of the
disaster still remain.
All of the interviews were conducted in Pampanga. The participants were sourced
through local knowledge of areas where damage was extensive or areas known to be
resettlement camps from the Mount Pinatubo eruption. The interviews were conducted at
the residence of the participants.
Interviews
Semi-structured life story interviews were conducted one-on-one with each parent
and child respectively. Informed consent was gathered initially. All the participants were
extensively briefed regarding the nature and purpose of the study. . Separate interview
guides were used for parent and child. The parent interview guide focused on a more
progressive direction starting from the disaster experience to the present. The child
interview guide would be more regressive. Each interview lasted between 10 minutes to
40 minutes. The interviews were conducted in front of the respective houses of the
participants. The participants were sourced on the day itself.

Each interview was recorded and transcribed verbatim, taking note of non-verbals
through careful notation during the interview proper.
Interview questions was translated in to three languages: English, Tagalog, and
Kapampangan. But only the Tagalog version was used because no language barrier or
miscommunication was seen when using Tagalog.
Data Analysis
The data was analysed in six steps (Crossley, 2007). The first step was reading
and familiarizing oneself with the data. The data was read thrice to allow the researchers
full understanding of the transcripts. The second would be identifying important codes
that capture what the narrative is conveying. The third would be identify the tone of the
narrative. The fourth will be to identify the themes in the narrative and the imagery used.
The fifth will be to weave the tone and themes together to form a coherent narrative of the
parent and child. Due to the relationship-focused nature of the study, weaving together
the narratives of the parent and child pair is crucial to the study. I will also weave together
and see if there are similarities between the themes in the narratives between parents and
between children. Returning to the themes and codes to assure validity would be done.
Member checking was done to one parent-child pair due to their availability.
Results
After multiple readings of the text and a comprehensive analysis, tones, images,
and themes emerged. The narratives that emerged from the data collection was rich and
full of experiences. For the parents, their narratives echoed their experiences, emotions
and thoughts. Their narratives were split among what happened around the time of the
eruption of Mount Pinatubo (before, during, after) and how it affects them in the present.
The narratives of the two children were vastly different from each other. Gelo mostly
cited widely known historical facts and knowledge and claims of little memory of the
narratives of his mothers experience of Mount Pinatubo. While Julias narrative was
filled with insights and details she has picked up from listening to her mothers narrative.
Tone. The tone of the narratives change depending on what time period are we
looking at. The tone of the parents narratives around the eruption was grim and
pessimistic. They detailed vivid accounts of the eruption citing the panic, sense of
helplessness, and confusion. Some of the quotes the parents that illustrate this;
Akala ko magugunaw na ang mundo (I thought the world was ending.) (Ana, Line
20, page 1)
Di ko alam kung ano na ang nangyayari, bakit ang usok ng paligid (I didnt know
what was happening, why was everything covered with ash.) (Tess, Line 16, page
1)
The tone of the children interviewed were different from each other. The first
child, Gelo, was simply historical. He talked about what he knew about the 1991 eruption
based on what he has studied in. He confirmed that he has heard narratives of the eruption
from his mother but did not internalize nor pay attention to the smaller details. The
second child interviewed, Julia, was the opposite. Her narrative tone was more optimistic.
She credited it to her mothers stories of their familys experience of the eruption before
she was born.
Imagery. The imagery in the narratives were rich, especially the parents. It was
full of experiential imagery wherein it was what they remember from twenty-four years
ago. For Ana the strongest image she had was of lahar flow stopping in front of her
house. This remains significant to her till this day. For Tess, its the image of a takeout
bag from McDonalds drivethru window covered in ashe. There were also images of
collecting relief goods, evacuation centers, church, and the like. All holding different
meanings. The image of the church was strong for Ana because it served their evacuation
center every time the wang-wang rung. Every time there is lahar flow or there was rain
that brought the lahar down from the mountains, the wang-wang or bell run. Another
strong image for Ana was dam trucks because during the evacuation, she rode one
without knowing where it was going. She just knew she had to get away for the sake of
her family. The truck was headed for Manila, where she had family to stay with. For Tess,
evacuation centers were very meaningful because even fast food chains like where she
worked in were made to shelter victims. They were passing out food and whatever
supplies they can spare. Another strong image for Tess was the image of a dark sky. She
mentioned, Parang gabi na agad kahit tanghali pa lang (It looked like it was night time
even though it was only noon. (line 46, page 1).
For Gelo and Julia, the imagery are more historical in nature. They use images
they see in TV or where the majority of the lahar flow was as ways to connect with the
images their parents saw. Julia uses the images of the church in Bacolor that was
submerged in lahar to empathize with her mothers experiences.
Artifacts. There were certain objects in the narrative of Ana and Tess that hold
significant meaning for them around the time of the eruption. For Ana, it was the wooden
Santo Nino statue she prayed to and attributes the stop of the lahar flow to. She mentions
it was because of that that they were spared. For Tess it was the McDonalds takeout bag,
the image of the bag covered in ash was very meaningful. It even felt ominous for her and
often goes back to it in her narrative.
Themes of the Parents. In analysing the narrative of the parents, it was apparent
that they shared similar experiences over the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Even coming
from vastly different background and age ranges, they had certain similarities. The
overarching theme for the parents were their families. Ana was a mother of two children,
both very young at the ages of six months and 1-year old. Then Tess was a young adult,
who still lived with her parents who were around 40 years old at the time. Families were
what they fell back to when the eruption occurred.
Balik sa normal or normalization was one of the most prevalent themes in their
narratives. It signifies their will to get back on their life tracks after being disrupted by the
eruption. For Ana, she focused on this for her family. She wanted to get back to how
things were so she can provide for her children. Going back to normal also meant not
brooding on the disaster. She said, Bakit ko pa kailangan alalahanin, mas importante ang
mga anak ko ngayon. (Why do I need to remember, my children are more important
now.)(line 84, page 2). For Tess, normalization meant moving forward to her life plans.
Getting a good paying job and maintaining a career were here definitions of going back to
normal. She didnt had family at the time but she wanted to help support her parents
especially when they grew older.
Family support was another major theme in the parents narratives. Both Ana and
Tess relocated and stayed with family when they evacuated Pampanga during the
eruption. Ana stayed with her family in Manila with her children while Tess stayed in
Pampanga. Tess lived with her family with one of her aunts who was not as affected by
the ash fall and lahar.
Kabuhayan or livelihood were prevalent in both narratives. For Ana, it was a
means of providing for her children as relief goods were unreliable and insufficient for
the needs. For Tess this meant, money to spend and savings so she doesnt not have to
rely on her parents anymore. Tess was trying to be a more independent young adult, and
she turned to working even after the eruption to help her get by. During analysis, it
became slowly apparent that for the parents at the time, sublimating was their primary
way of trying to move forward after the eruption.
Nasa Diyos na, this is what both parents attribute both good and bad outcomes
that may come of the eruption. Both of them are practicing Roman Catholics. For Ana,
she turned to God at every juncture of her disaster experience. When lahar flow came to
their street, she prayed to the Santo Nino to spare them and they were. She continuously
thanks God in her narrative for sparing their family and their home. When she thought the
world was ending, she said iniwan ko nalang sa Diyos ang lahat (I left everything to
Gods will) (line 120, page 3). She tries to pass on this faith to her children and credits
God for making sure that they came out as a family after the ordeal.
Themes of the children. Themes between Gelo and Julia werent comparable
with each other. Gelos narrative was historical in nature. It was filled with information
regarding the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Gelo admitted that even though she has heard
the narrative of his mother, he did not get much from it. For Gelos narrative, the
overarching themes would be informational in nature. For Julia, her overarching theme is
katatagan (resilience) which was apparent within her whole narrative. She attributes this
to her parents resilience in the face of immense change and disruption to their life. Even
though she was not born yet she has empathized with the experience of her mother. One
major sub-theme for Julia under resilience is the importance of family. One quote from
her narrative mentions, Nagpatatag talaga sa mom ko yung family naming. ( Our family
really made my mom a resilient person.).
Discussion
The narratives collected and analysed illustrated the depth and richness of Mount
Pinatubo disaster experience. The parents interviewed all showed vivid narratives where
emotions and thoughts from 1991 still remain clear. The experience of the parents
interviewed showed up that even after over twenty years after the incident, major
disasters like the one in Pinatubo, memories still remain. The analysis of the data showed
that family remained an overarching theme for both parents interviewed. For Ana, it was
her children that remained her focus. For Tess, it was her parents. Both parents got and
even relied on support of their family and relatives. After the eruption of Mount Pinatubo,
both then focused on normalizing their life. Things were very different after the eruption
for both of them. But getting back to what they know and what they were before the
eruption meant that they didnt allow the incident to disrupt their whole life. Part of this
was finding work when things have settled down. Finding work not only gave them the
resources to spend and pay for their needs, it gave them something to do. They didnt
focus on the disaster because they had their hands full with other responsibilities like
family and self. Both parents did not internalize the disaster. This could be because even
though they were affected by it, it did not uproot or critically disrupt their life like losing
a loved one would. The disaster remain an act of God for them. An act of God that spared
them from the brunt of the disaster. The incident was grim but it did not get any worse.
Both their families were spared from the disaster. For Ana, God may have cause the
eruption and lahar flow but God also stopped it in front of their residence. There was no
trauma that was left by it. Only feelings of anxiety that another disaster like it may occur.
It did not form to be a salient point in their life long after the incident, especially once
both parents got to normalize their lives at the time.
The childrens narratives were very different from one another but one fact
remains salient; the disaster experience transmitted wasnt affective nor traumatic in
nature. For a good part of it, it was historical and informational. The children heard it
directly from powerful sources in that their parents were directly affected by Pinatubo.
Gelo exhibited no internalisation nor processing of Tesss narratives and only showed
good knowledge of what happened in Pinatubo historically speaking.
What was transmitted? What then was transmitted was information,
preparedness, and resilience (at least for Julia). Information about how the disaster played
out and how the people reacted at the time lie in the root of the disaster experience
transmitted. It was information that may only come from a survivor of the disaster first-
hand. Preparedness was also transmitted. When such a devastating disaster like Pinatubo
occurred, it left the parents a bit more wary about how things could turn out. The children
were implicitly taught the importance of being prepared when such disasters occur. Ana
mentioned that she was not able to bring any belongings when it occurred. This resonated
with Julia. She gave meaning in a way that they should always be prepared should the
worst happens. Then there is resilience. Ana showed a lot of it in her narrative but it was
in Julia where it was really apparent. She uses the word katatagan when she recounts her
mothers narratives and what their family went through.
The transmitted disaster experience garnered in this study was not traumatic in
anyway. The parents themselves did not internalize the effects of the disasters to their
lives after. Instead, they chose to focus on matter that were important to them. Even
though the lived disaster experience was negative in nature, it does not cause any
impairment to the parents. This means the children are not transmitted any negative
experience. For Julias case, she internalized her mothers narrative and transformed it
into something she can look up to.
Limitations of the Study
In the journey of conducting this study, certain limitations that may affect the
results of the study arose. In collecting data for this study, participants were sourced
within the day. As such, they werent given time to properly build up their narratives and
prepare themselves for the question. Due to the nature of the event in question, memories
from twenty-four years ago will be blurred. Although it is the nature of the narratives to
allow the participants to recreate their experiences in form of narratives, more depth could
have been achieved if there was better preparation for data collection. Another limitation
was the time constraint of this study. Possibly, a better, deeper understanding of the
themes and of the data collected may happen if more time was given to analyse the data.
Another limitation was the proficiency of the researchers in conducting a narrative
inquiry. As a part of the reflexivity of the researchers, there are areas of improvement in
conducting a narrative inquiry and even analysis of a narrative text.
Recommendation for Future Research
For future research, I suggest recommend studying other major natural disasters in
relation to transgenerational transmission of trauma. Other disaster may bring different
kinds of meaningful narratives of the effects of disaster to them. Another
recommendation is for future research to focus on individuals who may have stronger
interpersonal connection to the Mount Pinatubo eruption. Victims who may have lost a
loved one, was injured, or may have internalized the incident significantly in their lives.
These inclusion criteria may result in a more substantial narratives and experiences in
both them and their children. Another recommendation would be to study other ways on
how disaster experience and disaster trauma manifest itself across generations. Positive
outcome can still occur in transmitted disaster experience as seen with Julias case.
Conclusion
The study aimed to see whether or not disaster experience would be transmitted
from parent to child. Based on the results of the analysis, transmitted disaster experience
can manifest itself in many ways. The study has shown that narratives about disaster
experience can contain vivid emotions that those with lived experience of it would feel
even decades after. Although even vivid emotions does not result in those emotions being
transmitted across generations. Transmitted disaster experience does not need to be alike
the experience of the parent who has lived experience of the disaster. The children
themselves transform and form these experiences based on the narratives they hear. In
this study, one child focused on facts and historical information while the other focused
on how her mother overcame it all and managed to raise their whole family. Although no
transmitted traumatic disaster experience was seen in both parent and child, different
ways of manifesting this transmitted experience was highlighted in depth. The parent has
the ability to decide and choose how they take in the disaster experience. The children
have the ability to transform the narrative in any way they see that honors what their
parents have gone through.

References
Atkinson, J., Nelson, J., & Atkinson, C. (2010). Trauma, Transgenerational Transfer and
Effects on Community Wellbeing. Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice, 135144. Retrieved
fromhttp://aboriginal.childhealthresearch.org.au/media/54847/working_together_full
_book.pdf\nhttp://arestcf.com/files/user5/Chapter10.pdf
Atkinson, R. (2002). The Life Story Interview. Handbook of Interview Research, 121140.
http://doi.org/10.4135/9781412973588
Balfe, M., & Tantam, D. (2010). A descriptive social and health profile of a community
sample of adults and adolescents with Asperger syndrome. BMC Research Notes, 3,
300. http://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-3-300
Barrameda, M.-P. (1996). Attribution of Others, Locus of Control, Experience of Disaster
and Coping Behavior of Lahar Victims(Unpublished masters thesis) . Ateneo de
Manila University
Baum, R. (2015). Transgenerational trauma and repetition in the body: The groove of the
wound. An International Journal for Theory, Research, and Practice,
2979(October). http://doi.org/10.1080/17432979.2013.748976
Bezo, B., & Maggi, S. (2015). Living in survival mode: Intergenerational transmission of
trauma from the Holodomor genocide of 1932-1933 in Ukraine. Social Science &
Medicine (1982), 134, 8794. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.04.009
Boasso, A., Overstreet, S., & Ruscher, J. B. (2015). Community Disasters and Shared
Trauma: Implications of Listening to Co-Survivor Narratives. Journal of Loss and
Trauma, 20(5), 397409. http://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2014.912055

Bombay, A., Matheson, K., & Anisman, H. (2009). Intergenerational Trauma: Convergence
of Multiple Processes among First Nations peoples in Canada. International Journal
of Indigenous Health, 5(3), 647.
Braga, L. L., Mello, M. F., & Fiks, J. P. (2012). Transgenerational transmission of trauma
and resilience: a qualitative study with Brazilian offspring of Holocaust survivors.
BMC Psychiatry, 12(1), 134. http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-12-134
Cavalli, A. (2012). Transgenerational transmission of indigestible facts: From trauma,
deadly ghosts and mental voids to meaning-making interpretations. Journal of
Analytical Psychology, 57(May 2011), 597614. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-
5922.2012.02005.x
Chua, R. G. (n.d.). Dismantling Disaster , Death , and Survival in Philippine Ecopoetry,
25(2015), 2646.
Cordova, M.-T. (1995). The Effect of Group Therapy on the Emotional Life of Mother-
Victims of the Pinatubo Eruption (unpublished masters thesis). Ateneo De
Manila University
Creswell, J. W. (2006). Five qualitative approaches to inquiry. In Creswell, J.W. (Eds.),
Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design (pp. 53-84). Thousand Oaks, CA, US:
Sage Publications, Inc.
Crossley, M. (2007). Narrative analysis. In E. Lyons, A. Coyle, E. Lyons, A. Coyle
(Eds.), Analysing qualitative data in psychology (pp. 131-144). Thousand Oaks,
CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc.
Fossion, P., Leys, C., Vandeleur, C., Kempenaers, C., Braun, S., Verbanck, P., &
Linkowski, P. (2015). Transgenerational transmission of trauma in families of

Holocaust survivors: The consequences of extreme family functioning on resilience
, Sense of Coherence , anxiety and depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 171,
4853. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.08.054
Fuertes, A. (2014). Storytelling and Its Transformative Impact in the Philippines. Conflict
Resolution Quarterly, 31(3), 331354. http://doi.org/10.1002/crq
Gallardo, A. (2015). Trauma as trans-generational discourse: Focusing on the Spanish case.
Portuguese Journal of Social Science, 14(1), 2537.
http://doi.org/10.1386/pjss.14.1.25
Gingrich, H. (2006). Trauma and dissociation in the Philippines. Journal of Trauma
Practice, 2922(October 2013), 3741. http://doi.org/10.1300/J189v04n03
Harville, E. W., Jacobs, M., & Boynton-Jarrett, R. (2015). When Is Exposure to a Natural
Disaster Traumatic? Comparison of a Trauma Questionnaire and Disaster Exposure
Inventory. Plos One, 10(4), e0123632. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0123632
Hiles, D. & ermk, I. (2008). Narrative psychology. In C. Willig, W. Stainton-Rogers,
C. Willig, W. Stainton-Rogers (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research
in Psychology (pp. 147-164). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc.
Howard, W. T., Loberiza, F. R., Pfohl, B. M., Thorne, P. S., Magpantay, R. L., & Woolson,
R. F. (2000). Logistical and Methodological Challenges in Conducting a Mental
Health Survey of Mount Pinatubo Disaster Victims. Transcultural Psychiatry, 37(1),
101118. http://doi.org/10.1177/136346150003700106
Kahane-Nissenbaum, M. C. (2011). Exploring Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma in
Third Generation Holocaust Survivors, 89.
Karavia, T. (2007). Witnessing the War through Conversational Testimonies. International

Journal of the Humanities, 4(10).
Kellermann, N. P. F. (2001). Transmission of Holocaust Trauma - An Integrative View.
Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 64(1), 256267.
http://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.64.3.256.18464
King, L. S., Osofsky, J. D., Osofsky, H. J., Weems, C. F., Hansel, T. C., & Fassnacht, G. M.
(2015). Perceptions of Trauma and Loss among Children and Adolescents Exposed
to Disasters a Mixed-Methods Study. Current Psychology.
http://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-015-9348-4
Kukihara, H., Yamawaki, N., Uchiyama, K., Arai, S., & Horikawa, E. (2014). Trauma,
depression, and resilience of earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster survivors of
Hirono, Fukushima, Japan. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 68(7), 524533.
http://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12159
Ladrigo-Ignacio, L. (2011). The Impact of Catastrophes on the Human Community. In
Ginhawa (pp. 5880).
Matthieu, M. M., Conroy, K., Lewis, S., Ivanoff, A., & Blackmore, E. R. (2007). Student
perspectives on the impact of the World Trade Center disaster: A longitudinal
qualitative study. Social Work Research, 31(2), 121126.
http://doi.org/10.1093/swr/31.2.121
Murray, M. (2008). Narrative psychology. In J. A. Smith, J. A. Smith (Eds.), Qualitative
psychology: A practical guide to research methods(pp. 111-131). Thousand Oaks,
CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc.
Nahar, N., Blomstedt, Y., Wu, B., Kandarina, I., Trisnantoro, L., & Kinsman, J. (2014).
Increasing the provision of mental health care for vulnerable, disaster-affected

people in Bangladesh. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 708. http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-
2458-14-708
Polkinghorne, D. (1988). Methodology for the Human Sciences: Systems of Inquiry.
Albany : State University of New York Press .
Prager, J. (2015). Danger and Deformation: A Social Theory of Trauma Part II: Disrupting
the Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma, Recovering Humanity, and Repairing
Generations. American Imago, 72(2), 133155.
http://doi.org/10.1353/aim.2015.0008
Pratt, G., Johnston, C., & Banta, V. (2015). Filipino migrant stories and trauma in the
transnational field. Emotion, Space and Society, 110.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2015.09.002
Risler, E., Kintzle, S., & Nackerud, L. (2014). Haiti and the Earthquake: Examining the
Experience of Psychological Stress and Trauma. Research on Social Work Practice,
25(2), 251256. http://doi.org/10.1177/1049731514530002
Smith, L. E., Bernal, D. R., Schwartz, B. S., Whitt, C. L., Christman, S. T., Donnelly, S.,
Kobetz, E. (2014a). Coping With Vicarious Trauma in the Aftermath of a Natural
Disaster. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 42(1), 212.
http://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2014.00040.x
Smith, L. E., Bernal, D. R., Schwartz, B. S., Whitt, C. L., Christman, S. T., Donnelly, S.,
Kobetz, E. (2014b). Coping with vicarious trauma in the aftermath of a natural
disaster. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 42(1), 212.
http://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2014.00040.x
Appendix
Interview Guide
Parent Interview Guide (Tagalog translation)
1. Maari niyo po ba ikwento ang karanasan ninyo noong pumutok
ang Mt. Pinatubo noong 1991?
2. Ano po sitwasyon ninyo pagkatapos ng pagputok ng bulkan?
3. Ang bahay, baryo, kung saan po kayo nakatira noon, kamusta
naman po sila noong pagbalik ninyo sa mga lugar na ito? Ano po ang inyong
naramdaman noon?
4. Ano po ang naging epekyo ng pagputok ng Mt. Pinatubo sa buhay
niyo pagkatapos ng insidente.
5. May nag-iba po ba sa kommunidad pagkatapos ng pagputok ng
Pinatubo?
6. Ano naman po ang mga ibat ibang karanasan ninyo pagkatapos
7. Paano niyo po kinukwento sa mga anak ninyo ang karanasan ninyo
sa pagputok ng Pinatubo?
8. Ano naman po ang kanilang naging reaksyon sa pagkuwento
ninyo?
9. Sa tingin niyo po, may epekto pa rin po ba sa buhay ninyo ngayon
ang pagputok ng Pinatubo?

Child Interview Guide
1. Ano-ano ang mga kuwento ng iyong magulang tungkol sa Mt.
Pinatubo?
2. Maari mo ba ikwento sa akin ang karansan nila?
3. Ngayon pa ba ay kinukwento pa rin nila ang karanasan nila?
4. Kailan nila unang kinuwento ang karanasan nila at papaaano?
5. Mula sa kanilang mga kuwento, ano ang kanilang nagging
karanasan mula noong pagputok ng bulkan?
6. Paano mo ikukuwento ang karansan nila noong pumutok ang
bulkang Pinatubo hanggang sa buhay ninyo ngayon?

Transgenerational Transmission of Disaster Experience Through Family Narratives

Transféré par

Informations du document

Titre original

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Transgenerational Transmission of Disaster Experience Through Family Narratives

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Transgenerational Transmission of Disaster Experience

Transgenerational Transmission of Mount Pinatubo Eruption

Disaster Experience in Filipino Families:

On How Disaster Experience is transmitted

Across a Generation through Narratives.

Jun Angelo Sunglao

Ateneo de Manila University

the children themselves make meanings out of their parents narratives.

Keywords: Disaster experience, transmission, trauma, Mount Pinatubo, family

Background of the Study

take away the experience.

well (Willig, 2008).

Review of Related Literature

Natural Disaster Experience. The experience of natural disasters causes severe

& Atkinson, 2010).

memory of it stronger. Although a community can help in recovering (Howard et al.,

affect try to move forward.

Trauma. Trauma emerges as a result of stressful experiences that overwhelm the

(Gingrich, 2006; Harville, Jacobs, & Boynton-Jarrett, 2015). Trauma is a consequence of

Victims of natural disaster become prone to trauma. Situations of extreme duress

remind the victim of the original experience.

Trauma affects multiple facets of ones well-being, not just psychological.

something as close to their former selves (Cavalli, 2012).

widespread impact on the community and the landscape.(Matthieu, Conroy, Lewis,

digested by the people (Murray, 2008).

Intergenerational Transmission of Disaster Trauma. Studies have shown that

experienced the trauma. It produces an environment characterized by affected individuals

to process the experience.

the narratives are reminiscent of ones experience (Boasso et al., 2015).

(Fossion et al., 2015).

Family has shown to be an integral part of the intergenerational transmission of

intergenerational transmission of trauma happens in childhood (Kahane-Nissenbaum,

as well. (Cavalli, 2012)

the disaster experience.

The Use of Narratives. Narratives are the core of transgenerational trauma.

Narratives can be defined as an organized interpretation of a sequence of events (Murray,

Local literature have used storytelling, or pakikipagkwentuhan as a way of

others with similar experiences. (R. Atkinson, 2002)

that society made in light of the disaster experience.

through family problems which could illustrate transmitted trauma.

experience plays a role in the process.

Models of Transmission. Kellermann (2001) uses a model of transmission of

Psychodynamic and relational model. The psychodynamic model focuses on the

them (Kahane-Nissenbaum, 2011).

Sociocultural and socialization in the family model. The sociocultural model

Impact of Community. Outside of Kellermans theory (2001), the impact of

person. Vicarious trauma becomes a major concern.(Smith et al., 2014b)

and memories (Kahane-Nissenbaum, 2011).

Statement of the Problem

answer the following questions:

2. How does disaster experience become entwined in the family narrative?

Significance of the Study

of disaster experience. Although the Philippines is regularly hit by natural disasters

not yet born at this time

disaster still remain.

the residence of the participants.

participants. The participants were sourced on the day itself.

through careful notation during the interview proper.

Interview questions was translated in to three languages: English, Tagalog, and

miscommunication was seen when using Tagalog.

she was born.

even though it was only noon. (line 46, page 1).

submerged in lahar to empathize with her mothers experiences.