{"id":105165,"date":"2025-07-10T17:13:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T17:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda"},"modified":"2025-07-10T17:32:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T17:32:01","slug":"resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda","title":{"rendered":"Resilience Can Break Cycle of Trauma in Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Resilience\u2014the ability to recover after trauma \u2013 can be passed from mothers to daughters, helping protect both generations from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), according to a new study by Rwandan psychotherapist and researcher Dr. Celestin Mutuyimana.<\/p>\n

PTSD is a psychiatric condition that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event or series of traumatic events.<\/p>\n

Conducted with 309 mother-daughter pairs in Rwanda, the research shows how families transmit trauma and the strength to heal. Researchers used internationally recognized questionnaires to measure each participant\u2019s exposure to traumatic events, resilience levels, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms.<\/p>\n

Findings revealed that mothers with higher resilience had fewer Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms and were more likely to protect their daughters from PTSD. Daughters\u2019 resilience also helped reduce Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms in their mothers, suggesting resilience flows both ways within families.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, we have known that trauma can be passed down within families, but this is the first evidence in our context that resilience can be transmitted too, and it matters,\u201d Dr. Mutuyimana told The New Times.<\/p>\n

In Rwanda where generations still carry the effects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and other traumatic events, he said, the study shifts the focus from inherited suffering alone to shared strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cMothers in the study, most over the age of 60, often lived through deep trauma decades ago. Yet, their resilience directly influenced their daughters\u2019 mental health. Daughters\u2019 resilience, in turn, offered measurable support back to their mothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Mutuyimana, the founder of Baho Smile Institute, a psychotherapeutic and research center in Kimironko, said resilience does not mean avoiding suffering altogether.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople react differently to trauma, some remain largely unaffected, called resistant individuals; others experience chronic, lasting difficulties; and a third group, the resilient, suffer initially but manage to recover and return to their previous level of functioning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study highlighted this capacity to recover, rather than the absence of distress, as resilience.<\/p>\n

The research also confirmed that mothers\u2019 traumatic experiences were strongly associated with higher Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms in both themselves and their daughters. Meanwhile, daughters\u2019 traumatic experiences were linked only to their own PTSD symptoms and did not majorly affect their mothers.<\/p>\n

This pattern suggests that while trauma tends to flow more strongly from parent to child, resilience can move both ways within the family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is good news for everyone because parents aren\u2019t only transmitters of pain; they can also pass on healing traits, and children can actively help both themselves and their parents,\u201d Dr. Mutuyimana said.<\/p>\n

\u2018The light that can break through the darkness\u2019<\/p>\n

Researchers used the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, which looks at how one family member\u2019s resilience or trauma affects the other.<\/p>\n

The analysis showed mothers\u2019 resilience had a significant impact, lowering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms both for themselves and for their daughters. Daughters\u2019 resilience had a smaller but still important effect on their mothers\u2019 symptoms.<\/p>\n

For clinicians and mental health professionals, these findings suggest family context should be part of treatment, not just individual experiences.<\/p>\n

Dr. Mutuyimana noted that therapists should pay attention to the strengths that remain within families rather than focusing only on what is broken. He described resilience as \u201ca tablet for trauma,\u201d explaining, \u201cWhen someone is exhausted, it helps them recover their inner strength and sense of possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said focusing on resilience shifts the story from inherited trauma to one of hope and healing. In families shaped by trauma, resilience helps move toward recovery.<\/p>\n

Dr. Mutuyimana said trauma-informed care is important but needs to be combined with programs that help families build resilience. He noted that focusing only on individuals can miss the role families play in supporting each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo stop trauma from passing down through generations, we must strengthen resilience within families. We have talked about trauma for so long, and rightly so, but it\u2019s time to talk just as seriously about resilience, which is the light that can break through the darkness,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The study has some limitations as it focused only on mother-daughter pairs, leaving out fathers and sons whose experiences might differ.<\/p>\n

Its cross-sectional design reveals links but cannot establish cause and effect. Also, relying on self-reported questionnaires means the findings depend on participants\u2019 own perceptions of their trauma and resilience.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Resilience\u2014the ability to recover after trauma \u2013 can be passed from mothers to daughters, helping protect both generations from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), according to a new study by Rwandan psychotherapist and researcher Dr. Celestin Mutuyimana. PTSD is a psychiatric condition that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":105164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,30],"tags":[6058,758,4035],"class_list":["post-105165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-psd","tag-rwanda","tag-trauma"],"yoast_head":"\nResilience Can Break Cycle of Trauma in Rwanda - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Resilience\u2014the ability to recover after trauma \u2013 can be passed from mothers to daughters, helping protect both generatio ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Resilience Can Break Cycle of Trauma in Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Resilience\u2014the ability to recover after trauma \u2013 can be passed from mothers to daughters, helping protect both generatio ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-10T17:13:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-10T17:32:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/07\/sm_1752156102.158512.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"633\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Resilience Can Break Cycle of Trauma in Rwanda\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-10T17:13:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-10T17:32:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda\"},\"wordCount\":729,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/07\/sm_1752156102.158512.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"PSD\",\"Rwanda\",\"Trauma\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/resilience-can-break-cycle-of-trauma-in-rwanda\",\"name\":\"Resilience Can Break Cycle of Trauma in Rwanda - 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