Documentary backdrop image for How Trauma Gets Passed to the Next Generation (2026)

202611 minPGdoc-short

family-dynamics mental-health scientific-research

How Trauma Gets Passed to the Next Generation

202611 minPGdoc-short

Experiences of stress and trauma can alter gene expression, potentially affecting the health and behavior of future generations, according to NOVA's research.

family-dynamics mental-health scientific-research

Genres

Channel: NOVA PBS Official

How Trauma Gets Passed to the Next Generation

2026• 11 minPG

Synopsis

Experiences of stress and trauma can alter gene expression, potentially affecting the health and behavior of future generations, according to NOVA's research.

Synopsis

Experiences of stress and trauma can alter gene expression, potentially affecting future generations. Research highlights how these changes may be passed down, influencing the health and behavior of descendants. This excerpt from the NOVA program "Your Brain: Who's in Control?" explores the implications of intergenerational trauma and the biological mechanisms behind it. Originally premiered in 2023, the program provides insights into the complex relationship between genetics and life experiences, emphasizing the lasting impact of trauma on families.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Stressed (2019)

Stressed

2019•1h2m•★7.0

Emotional stress is examined through historical context and its neurological and psychological effects, featuring insights from Dr. Daniel Monti and Dr. Andrew Newberg.

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

2003•1h29m•★6.7

Aileen Wuornos reflects on her life and the events leading to her execution for multiple murders while awaiting death in her prison cell.

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

Covid Deaths Left Orphans. The Stress of That Loss May Carry With It Lifelong Risks. (2022)

Covid Deaths Left Orphans. The Stress of That Loss May Carry With It Lifelong Risks.

Avion Simon and his siblings navigate life as orphans after losing their mother to Covid-19, highlighting the long-term health risks associated with such trauma.

Covid Deaths Left Orphans. The Stress of That Loss May Carry With It Lifelong Risks.

Genetically Engineering Your DNA to Cure Disease (2018)

Genetically Engineering Your DNA to Cure Disease

Pierceton Charles, a 12-year-old with sickle cell anemia, has undergone 48 hospitalizations due to his painful genetic condition.

Genetically Engineering Your DNA to Cure Disease

Beyond DNA: The Science That Controls Your Life (2026)

Beyond DNA: The Science That Controls Your Life

Epigenetics reveals that environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and experiences can influence gene expression, challenging the long-held belief that DNA solely determines identity.

Beyond DNA: The Science That Controls Your Life

Genetic Screening: Controlling Heredity (2018)

Genetic Screening: Controlling Heredity

Advances in prenatal genetic screening raise ethical questions about defining "disease" versus "difference" and the potential impact on population diversity.

Genetic Screening: Controlling Heredity

Can We Overcome Our Genetic Limitations? - It's Not All In Our Genes - Science Documentary (2022)

Can We Overcome Our Genetic Limitations? - It's Not All In Our Genes - Science Documentary

Epigenetics reveals how environmental factors like nutrition and trauma can influence gene expression, challenging the belief that genetics solely determine an organism's traits.

Can We Overcome Our Genetic Limitations? - It's Not All In Our Genes - Science Documentary

'I thought I was going to be a single dad': MP recalls wife's traumatic birth (2026)

'I thought I was going to be a single dad': MP recalls wife's traumatic birth

Labour MP Luke Charters discusses the traumatic birth experience of his wife Beth and advocates for improvements in maternity care within the NHS.

'I thought I was going to be a single dad': MP recalls wife's traumatic birth

The Disease in Her Father's DNA Could Be in Hers Too (2026)

The Disease in Her Father's DNA Could Be in Hers Too

A woman faces a 50/50 chance of inheriting her father's incurable disease while a man searches for his biological father, revealing unexpected family ties.

The Disease in Her Father's DNA Could Be in Hers Too

Fixing My Brain (2024)

Fixing My Brain

Neuroscience explores whether the brain can change itself through specific exercises, challenging the notion of being stuck with one's innate cognitive abilities.

Fixing My Brain

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History (2019)

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History

The 1918 influenza pandemic killed more people worldwide than combat during World War One.

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History

The Receptionist: Caridad Cerbito Morales (2025)

The Receptionist: Caridad Cerbito Morales

In a rural pension house in the Philippines, 77-year-old Caridad Cerbito Morales navigates life as a widow while longing to reconnect with her estranged child.

The Receptionist: Caridad Cerbito Morales

Explore How Trauma Gets Passed to the Next Generation

Browse more like this

Can We Overcome Our Genetic Limitations? - It's Not All In Our Genes - Science Documentary (2022)

Can We Overcome Our Genetic Limitations? - It's Not All In Our Genes - Science Documentary

Epigenetics reveals how environmental factors like nutrition and trauma can influence gene expression, challenging the belief that genetics solely determine an organism's traits.

Can We Overcome Our Genetic Limitations? - It's Not All In Our Genes - Science Documentary

No digital watch option in your country

Fixing My Brain (2024)

Fixing My Brain

Neuroscience explores whether the brain can change itself through specific exercises, challenging the notion of being stuck with one's innate cognitive abilities.

Fixing My Brain

No digital watch option in your country

Human Nature (2019)

Human Nature

2019•1h47m•★6.8

A clinical trial at Stanford University aims to use CRISPR to treat sickle cell disease, a condition affecting millions worldwide.

The Wisdom of Trauma (2021)

The Wisdom of Trauma

2021•1h27m•★7.1

One in five Americans is diagnosed with a mental illness each year, while suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 15-24.

The Wisdom of Trauma

Screen Generation: Sick Generation? (2020)

Screen Generation: Sick Generation?

2020•53m•★8.6

Researchers Benjamin Cabaj and Laëtitia Pansanel-Garric at a university lab study how screen time affects mental health and views on digital technology.

Screen Generation: Sick Generation?

Our Brain (2022)

Our Brain

2022•1h•★5.5

Breakthroughs in brain imaging and genetics reveal how genes and environment interact to shape mental processes and improve well-being.

Brains in Danger (2017)

Brains in Danger

2017•56m•★7.2

A significant decrease in IQ levels has been recorded over the past 20 years, coinciding with a rise in autism and behavioral disorders.

Brains in Danger

Childhood 2.0 (2020)

Childhood 2.0

2020•1h29m•★7.2

Suicide rates among school-aged children have increased sharply, raising concerns about the effects of excessive online time on their well-being.

Children Below Deck (2018)

Children Below Deck

2018•1h30m•★8.8

Three generations share their experiences of trauma and history in a 90-minute documentary set in north-eastern Europe.

Children Below Deck

The Beginning of Life (2016)

The Beginning of Life

2016•1h38m•★7.3

Babies are influenced by their environment and relationships, not just their genetic makeup, shaping their development in crucial ways.

The Beginning of Life

Choosing Children (1984)

Choosing Children

1984•45m•★4.0

Forty-five minutes of candid interviews reveal the challenges faced by lesbian and gay parents in the United States during the 1980s.

Choosing Children

The Earthing Movie (2019)

The Earthing Movie

2019•1h15m•★8.5

Standing barefoot on the earth can promote healing in the body, according to a 75-minute documentary released in 2019.

The Earthing Movie

Unnatural Selection (2019)

Unnatural Selection

2019•1h•★7.0

Gene editing technologies like CRISPR have the potential to eliminate hereditary diseases and select specific traits in humans.

Unnatural Selection

Beyond Trauma (2017)

Beyond Trauma

Forty-five minutes of interviews reveal personal trauma experiences from individuals in Canada and the United States, alongside insights from mental health professionals.

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →