Prenatal stress (PNS) has been shown to affect a range of different modalities, like stress responsiveness and affective traits in both animals and humans. Previously, Dr Paula Brunton’s lab has used a novel model of ethologically relevant prenatal social stress and had shown increased stress responsiveness in both first generation (F1) PNS males and females and increased anxiety-like trait in males, together with corresponding changes in mRNA expression for corticotrophin releasing hormone (Crh) and its receptors. The first aim on this project was to further explore the phenotype of PNS offspring created using this model in social context. F1 PNS females, but not males, displayed an impairment in social memory in comparison to control females, which was supported by lower vasopressin receptor type 1a (Avpr1a) mRNA expression in the anterior part of lateral septum and bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Acute stress exposure immediately prior to the social memory test, impaired social memory in control males and females, but had no effect in PNS males and markedly improved performance in PNS females. This facilitated learning in the PNS females was supported by the finding of higher Avpr1a mRNA expression in both target regions in the brain. Finally, olfactory memory for social but not non-social odours was also impaired in PNS females, compared to control females, indicating that deficits in social memory in PNS females are specific to social odours and not in the detection and/or processing of all odours. It has been shown previously that phenotypes observed in PNS animals can also be seen following disrupted maternal care in the early post-partum period and that stress can affect maternal behaviour. To investigate this possibility in the current model a maternal behaviour observation protocol was developed. Dams were observed during the first postnatal week, three times/day in 90 min blocks. Stressed dams showed an increase in pup-directed behaviours, together with an increase in arched back nursing specifically, compared to control dams. Furthermore, studies have shown that maternal behaviour patterns can be transferred from mother to daughters, therefore this possibility was also investigated here. There were no differences in maternal behaviour between F1 control and F1 PNS dams. The maternal behaviour experiment for the F1 PNS dams created a unique opportunity to study their offspring (F2). F2 PNS rats had lower body weights than their control counterparts throughout their lifetimes, while not differing significantly in their calorie intake. Increased anxiety-like behaviour was also observed in both the F2 males and females (but only during proestrous and estrous stages of their cycle). These changes were supported in males by increased Crh and Crh receptor type 1 and decreased Crh receptor type 2 mRNA expression in discrete regions of the amygdala. Furthermore, F2 PNS females exhibited exaggerated, and males attenuated ACTH and corticosterone secretion in response to acute stress, compared with controls. The reduced stress response in F2 PNS males was supported by higher glucocorticoid receptor (GR, Nr3c1) mRNA expression in field CA1 of hippocampus. In F2 PNS females, increased stress responses were associated with increased Crh and Avp mRNA expression in the medial parvocellular division of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and lower basal Nr3c1 and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR, Nr3c2) mRNA expression in the hippocampus. As increased stress and anxiety-like responses have been linked to a depressive phenotype that possibility was also investigated. No changes were found in either sucrose preference or floating/swimming behaviour in the forced swim test between the F2 PNS and control rats, in either sex. Finally, the variation in individual stress responsiveness and anxiety-like trait and the relationship between these phenotypes was investigated in an outbred male Sprague Dawley population. It was found that three of the most commonly used anxiety tests: open field test, light dark box and elevated plus maze do not correlate as well with each other as could be expected. Secondly plasma corticosterone concentrations 30min after the onset of acute restraint stress were positively correlated with the amount of time the rats spent in the anxiogenic environments, showing perhaps counter-intuitively, that the higher the stress responses the less anxious the male rat is. The behavioural tests were also used as a selection procedure to compare gene expression by microarray in the amygdala of high and low anxious rats and hypothalamus of high and low stress-responsive rats. To summarise, stress during pregnancy has profound effects on the dams’ immediate maternal behaviour, as well as neuroendocrine and behavioural effects in both the F1 and F2 offspring. Furthermore, there is evidence of inter-individual variation in stress responsiveness and anxiety-like behaviour in an outbred rat population. This data could lead to further understanding of the origins of inter-individual variation and appreciation of the effect of stress throughout the life course.

Introduction There is now a greater understanding of the significance of attachment and the importance of the mother-child dyad in relation to Eating Disorders (ED). Mothers with this illness may not be able to offer their child the best environment to develop in a healthy way. Previous literature has indicated the probability of transgenerational effect and recognised that children of mothers with an ED are a high risk group. This research takes forward such awareness in relation to transgenerational EDs. It focuses on environmental factors and attachment. It explores the effectiveness of a group therapy intervention to prevent or mitigate the perpetuation of an ED through the generations. This study presents the outcomes of the group process, discussing the effects on the participants. Aims 1. To conduct a group intervention. 2. To aid the recovery of the mother from her ED. 3. To investigate the possibility of primary prevention of an ED for the child. 4. To develop a transferable protocol from the group therapy that can be used by other therapists within a health care setting. Method Participants with an ED (AN, BN or EDNOS) as defined by DSM-IV, who had children under the age of 13 were recruited from NHS settings. Two hour sessions were conducted by a therapist at weekly intervals for 19 weeks; each session was recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were thematically analysed using NUD*ST. The CORE and the EDI together with a semi-structured interview were administered at the beginning and end of the group and at the six and twelve month follow ups. The n=1 case study methodology was used to design and analyse the study, using the group intervention as the case investigated. Results At the end of the intervention and at 6 month follow up all participants demonstrated an improvement in their ED, but at 12 months this improvement was only sustained by 50%. At all points including the 12 month follow up all participants showed substantial improvement in the nurturing of their children. From this study we were able to complete a manual that could be disseminated to health professionals in order to replicate the organization of further groups for this particular client population. Discussion These results gave encouraging support to the hypothesis that group therapy can be a useful intervention for mothers with an ED in order to break the transgenerational cycle of dysfunction.

Due to her death in 1549, Marguerite de Navarre never completed her masterwork of seventy-two short stories, the Heptameron, which differs radically in style, subject matter, and approach from her earlier pious and spiritual literary output of theater and poetry. The Heptameron focuses primarily on transgressive human behaviors such as deception, seduction, rape, incest, and corruption. In her waning years after retiring from the court, Marguerite clearly used written expression to examine those unflattering traits of human character which deviated from the spiritual path she had taken and written about throughout her life; but the reasons for this abrupt shift in Marguerite's writing have long puzzled scholars, who often interpret her novellas either as negative exempla that reinforce the morality of her poetry, or as pure entertainment.Thanks to the psychoanalytical theories formulated and developed in the twentieth century by Sigmund Freud (father of psychoanalysis, 1856-1939), J.L. Moreno (creator of psychodrama and sociometry, 1892-1974), Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy (family psychologist, 1920-2007), Anne Ancelin Schützenberger (founder of transgenerational psychoanalysis 1919-) Nicholas Abraham (theorist of cryptonymy, 1919-1975), and Maria Torok (theorist of cryptonymy, 1925-1998) we have new tools that allow us to gain a different perspective on what may have motivated Marguerite to write the Heptameron and why recurring themes (i.e., marital infidelity, imprisonment, and clerical misdeeds) appear throughout her work. When analyzing the Heptameron in the light of these theories, it becomes clear that Marguerite focuses on unresolved family patterns transmitted from one generation to the next. These transgressive themes coincide with traumas that Marguerite herself experienced, which she reflects on, works through, and embeds within her text.Using Boccaccio's Decameron as a model, Marguerite creates intratextual storytellers who discuss, debate, and philosophize about human behaviors. Writing thus enables her to manipulate through fiction the unresolved conflicts and anxieties, both conscious and unconscious, that she was powerless to control in reality. The storytellers express and explore Marguerite's beliefs about life. By reinterpreting these frame discussions and Marguerite's transgressive subject matter in the light of the aforementioned social and psychological theories; I analyze the link between Marguerite's family heritage, her life, and her writing.

Threshold and non-threshold linear models that govern toxicology are challenged by an alternative model, hormesis. It is defined as low-dose stimulation and high-dose inhibition from a stressor. Insecticide-induced hormesis has been studied in a plethora of insect-insecticide models at biochemical, individual and population levels. This research focuses on the effects of sublethal concentrations of insecticides on reproductive responses of green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), at individual and population level besides regulation of stress, dispersal and developmental genes during hormesis. In laboratory studies, irrespective of the duration and route of exposure, sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid induced stimulations in fecundity of M. persicae but the nature of response differed intra- and trans-generationally. Fitness tradeoffs could be rendered due to declined fecundity in successive generations. However, continuous exposure to sublethal concentrations does not compromise overall fitness trans-generationally, considering recovered levels of fecundity as controls in successive generations and the total reproduction after four generations. Greenhouse experiments affirmed uncompromised fitness where reproductive stimulations were noted in aphids exposed to imidacloprid treated potato plants. Up- and down- regulation of stress, dispersal and developmental genes was noted during imidacloprid-induced hormesis in M. persicae that mirrored the reproductive responses in few instances. Global DNA methylation results emphasized the heritability of adapted traits trans-generationally via hypermethylation. Dispersal related genes (OSD, TOL and ANT) that are predominantly expressed in alates (about 2- to 5-fold) were affected in apterous aphids continuously exposed to sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid. No direct relation with the previously noted fecundity was established implying adaptive cellular stress response pathways might be triggered rather than normal regulatory processes due to low-dose imidacloprid exposure. At a biochemical level, a study noted that imidacloprid-induced hormesis concurrently stimulated juvenile hormone III (JH) production and fecundity in M. persicae. Precocene, an anti-JH, at sublethal concentrations induced reproductive stimulations in M. persicae. Gene regulation during precocene-induced hormesis mirrored imidacloprid results for few genes including FPPS, a JH precursor gene, with a higher magnitude of regulation. Considering these stimulatory effects that insecticide-induced hormesis at various biological hierarchies, causes for pest resurgence, hormesis could have ramifications from declines in natural enemy population.

abstract: This dissertation examines U. S. American intergenerational witnesses to the Holocaust, particularly how addressees turned addressors maintain an ethical obligation to First Generation witnesses while creating an affective relation to this history for new generations. In response to revisionism and the incommunicability of the Holocaust, a focus on (accurate) First Generation testimony emerged that marginalizes that of intergenerational witnesses. The risk of such a position is that it paralyzes language, locking the addressee into a movement always into the past. Using examples of intergenerational witnesses (moving from close to more distant relationships), this project argues that there is a possibility for ethical intergenerational response. There are two major discussion arcs that the work follows: self-reflexivity and the use of the Banality of Evil as a theme. Self-reflexivity in intergenerational witnessing calls attention to the role of the author as transgenerational witness, an act that does not seek to appropriate the importance or position of the Holocaust survivor because it calls attention to a subjective site in relation to the survivor and the communities of memory created within the text. The other major discussion arc moves from traditional depictions of the Banality of Evil to ones that challenge the audience to consider the way evil is conceptualized after the Holocaust and its implications in contemporary life. In these ways, intergenerational witnesses move from addressee to addressors, continuing to stress the importance of this history through the imperative to pass Holocaust testimony onward into the future. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. English 2012

Epigenetics is a rapidly growing field that has provided insight into the etiology of many physiological mechanisms. Research around post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has evolved immensely since expanding to include an epigenetic lens. Researchers have studied which gene loci are associated with PTSD to understand how genes can become either over or under expressed when exposed to trauma. The three main epigenetic factors that assist with regulating the genome are: DNA methylation, histone modification (including methylation and acetylation), and noncoding RNA. Each factor utilizes a different mechanism to help with either the upregulation or downregulation of a specific gene. Within PTSD research, the impacts of these genome modifications have been studied to understand how they regulate the common physiological symptoms associated with PTSD diagnoses. These symptomologies include decreased basal cortisol levels, decreased cardiovascular health, decreased immune function, and increased mortality. Many epigenetic studies have explored how changes in specific gene loci contribute to these physiological dysregulations. Some genes of interest include nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 (NR3C1), FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5), and spindle and kinetochore-associated protein 2 (SKA2). Many studies have been conducted examining the DNA methylation activity of each gene in those with PTSD diagnoses and those without. However, research continues to produce mixed results. While some studies show an increase of DNA methylation for a specific gene in subjects with PTSD, other studies evidence a decrease of DNA methylation for the same gene. Examining the reasons for conflicting evidence is valuable to further understand the epigenetic mechanisms that occur. After conducting a literature review, four confounding factors have been identified as contributors to such mixed results. The first factor is the difference in each study’s definition of trauma, as well as the diagnostic tools they use to identify subjects with PTSD. The second factor is the samples used to detect epigenetic changes. Most samples collected in epigenetic studies of PTSD include whole blood samples, salivary samples, and only rarely, brain tissue samples. These different sample types, when cross-compared, can contribute to discrepancies in DNA methylation data. Furthermore, whole blood samples are not only vulnerable to intrinsic factor variabilities, but external factor variabilities. The third factor is a difference in subject population across the literature. Many studies are focused on either combat-veterans (with all male subjects) or child cohorts. These differences in demographics make it difficult to compare groups, as research indicates several epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation activity are sex, ethnicity, and age dependent. Finally, the fourth confounding factor is age at onset of trauma. Many studies show that trauma exposure in childhood leads to more severe symptoms compared to trauma exposure in adulthood. It is important to consider these factors and account for confounding variables when conducting future research. In doing so, more robust and accurate research can be produced. A more refined understanding of the epigenetic etiology of PTSD, as well as its epigenetic biomarkers, will likely yield greater insight into PTSD diagnoses, as well as best treatment practices.

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo explorar la transgeneracionalidad en el apego en madres y sus hijos adolescentes con discapacidad física. De esta manera se busca conocer cómo se desarrollan las representaciones de apego en los adolescentes con discapacidad física, centrando el análisis en la trasmisión generacional, manifestado a través de las narrativas de apego de las madres con las abuelas y el impacto de la propia discapacidad. Con este propósito, desde el marco del paradigma cualitativo, se entrevistó a tres diadas madre-hijo adolescente (2 madre-hija y 1 madre-hijo), tomando a la madre como eje articulador de lo transgeneracional. Surgen del análisis temático, tres ejes: La relación madre-abuela, la relación madre-hijo y la relación hijo-madre. Como hallazgo principal se encontró que la transgeneracionalidad en el apego no se encuentra determinada por la discapacidad en sí, o por la representación de apego de la propia madre, sino que consiste en un aspecto multideterminado por la interacción de distintos factores desplegados en lo relacional. Además, la posibilidad de establecer una representación de apego segura en un adolescente con discapacidad se encuentra mediada por la capacidad de su madre de verlo como un sujeto con una mente independiente. / The current investigation aims to explore the transgenerational transmition of attachment on mothers and their teenage children with physical disability. In this manner, it seeks to understand how attachment representations are constructed in adolescents with physical disability. Focusing the analysis mainly in the generational transmission, expressed by the narratives of the mothers with the grandmothers, and the impact of the disability diagnose. With this purpose, from a qualitative paradigm, three mother-adolescent-offspring dyads (2 mother-daughter and 1 mother-son) were interviewed, taking the mother as the articulating axis of the transgenerational aspect. The thematic analysis presents three axes: The mother-grandmother relationship, the mother-offspring relationship and the offspring-mother relationship. The results of the study show that the transgenerational transmission in attachment is not determined by the disability itsfelf nor the mothers’ attachmente representacion, it is multideterminated by the interaction of a series of factors displayed in the relational aspect. Also, the possibility of establishing a secure attachment representation for an adolescent with physical disability is mediated by the capacity of his mother to perceive him as an individual with a mind of his own. / Tesis

A literatura psicológica é unânime em afirmar que o ambiente é um importante propulsor do desenvolvimento infantil. Assim, ao considerar a importância do meio, é preciso entender que a família exerce uma importante influência na criança, podendo auxiliar ou dificultar seu processo evolutivo. A partir de uma perspectiva transgeracional, é possível identificar a forma como ocorrem a transmissão psíquica e o processo estruturante da organização familiar, correspondente à herança familiar em nível inconsciente, que transfere aspectos intrapsíquicos e intersubjetivos. A tendência antissocial pode levar a um importante rompimento das expectativas que a sociedade e a família têm para com a criança, sendo que os sintomas que a caracterizam compreendem a presença de brigas, agressividade, oposição, mentiras, fugas, desobediência, entre outros. Sendo assim, o presente trabalho visou compreender os psicodinamismos familiares envolvidos no surgimento e na manutenção da tendência antissocial em uma criança do sexo feminino de cinco anos de idade, a partir da perspectiva da teoria da Transmissão Psíquica Transgeracional. Foi realizado um estudo de caso com a participação de uma família, cuja criança apresenta sintomas de tendência antissocial. Participaram desta pesquisa: a criança, seus pais, sua avó materna e sua avó paterna. A avaliação realizada compreendeu a utilização da Bateria Hammer para todos os participantes; Teste de Apercepção Temática Infantil e Teste das Matrizes Progressivas Coloridas de Raven para a criança; entrevista psicológica semiestruturada e Questionário de Capacidades e Dificuldades (SDQ-Por) para a mãe; e Teste de Apercepção Temática para todos os adultos. Os materiais foram analisados a partir de uma perspectiva clínica psicanalítica, além das cotações propostas pelos manuais dos instrumentos. A partir dos dados obtidos, nota-se que os sintomas da criança estão intimamente relacionados às angústias, sofrimentos e incertezas dos membros de sua família. As duas avós apresentam uma história que as aproxima e contribui para a compreensão familiar, sendo que ambas expressam uma dependência em relação ao outro, de forma que buscam relações que possam auxiliá-las a satisfazer suas necessidades. As avós e a mãe da criança sofreram privações emocionais ao longo da vida, relacionadas à ausência de figuras importantes, à separação prematura de seus pais e ao holding deficitário, sem encontrarem alguém para suprir-lhes as carências afetivas. A criança recebe a angústia dessas mulheres e seu desejo de mudança, por ela expressos através de sua impulsividade e agitação. Já o pai demonstra sentimento de inutilidade e futilidade frente ao mundo, o que o faz se distanciar da família e dos cuidados da filha. Como seus pais evidenciam a ausência de figuras de identificação para o exercício das funções parentais, a criança recebe conteúdos não elaborados, ligados a perdas, busca por holding, depressão e sensação de ser exigida além do que pode oferecer. Os contornos do Self infantil são pouco definidos¸ e a menina não se sente protegida por uma imposição segura de limites. Os sintomas da criança parecem ser uma maneira que ela encontrou para elaborar os conteúdos que lhe foram transmitidos, buscar ajuda e receber holding. Faz-se necessária uma intervenção nessa família, para que o tratamento da criança seja efetivo. Outras pesquisas devem ser realizadas, a fim de aprofundar o conhecimento sobre a temática. / The psychological literature is unanimous in stating that the environment plays a very important whole in children\'s development process. In so being, the family may help or hinder their healthy growth. From an intergenerational perspective, it is possible to identify how the psychic transmission and the structuring process of the family organization (corresponding to the family inheritance on an unconscious level) occur as to the transfer of intrapsychic and intersubjective aspects. The antisocial trend can cause a major disruption of the expectations that society and the family have for the child, and the symptoms that characterize such trend encompass the presence of quarrels, aggression, opposition, lies, escaping from reality, and disobedience, among others. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the family psychodynamics involved in the onset and maintenance of antisocial trend in a female child of five years old, from the perspective of the Psychic Transgenerational Transmission theory. A case study including the participation of her family was conducted. So, the child, her parents, her maternal grandmother and her paternal grandmother were included. The evaluation encompassed the use of Hammer Battery (with all the participants); Children Apperception Test and Raven\'s Coloured Progressive Matrices Test (with the child); psychological interview and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-Per) (with the mother); and Thematic Apperception Test with all adults. The data were analyzed from a psychoanalytic clinical perspective, together with the conjectures proposed by manual instruments. It can be noted that the child\'s symptoms are closely related to the anguish, suffering and uncertainty of the members of her family. Both grandmothers have similar life histories, expressing a dependency on others, that contributes to the understanding of their families. Both wish to get involved in relationships that could help them to meet their needs. The child\'s grandmothers and mother have suffered emotional deceptions throughout life, which are related to the absence of important figures, due to premature separation of their parents and consequent deficit of holding, and did not find other person to meet their affective needs. The child receives the distresses of these women and their wishes of changes in their lives, expressing such feelings through her impulsiveness and restlessness. Her father demonstrates a feeling of uselessness and futility as to the world, leading him to an emotional distance from his family and his daughter\'s care. So, the chill\'s parents reveal major losses that led to the absence of figures of identification in exercising their parental responsibilities. The child receives contents not well elaborated, related to loss, search for holding, depression and feeling of being required, but with no conditions to answer accordingly. The contours of the child\'s Self are poorly defined and the girl does not feel protected by secure imposing limits. The child\'s symptoms seem to be a way she found to elaborate contends and seek for help and holding. An intervention should be carried out with this family to help the child\'s treatment. Further researches should be conducted to deepen the knowledge on the subject.

A literatura psicológica é unânime em afirmar que o ambiente é um importante propulsor do desenvolvimento infantil. Assim, ao considerar a importância do meio, é preciso entender que a família exerce uma importante influência na criança, podendo auxiliar ou dificultar seu processo evolutivo. A partir de uma perspectiva transgeracional, é possível identificar a forma como ocorrem a transmissão psíquica e o processo estruturante da organização familiar, correspondente à herança familiar em nível inconsciente, que transfere aspectos intrapsíquicos e intersubjetivos. A tendência antissocial pode levar a um importante rompimento das expectativas que a sociedade e a família têm para com a criança, sendo que os sintomas que a caracterizam compreendem a presença de brigas, agressividade, oposição, mentiras, fugas, desobediência, entre outros. Sendo assim, o presente trabalho visou compreender os psicodinamismos familiares envolvidos no surgimento e na manutenção da tendência antissocial em uma criança do sexo feminino de cinco anos de idade, a partir da perspectiva da teoria da Transmissão Psíquica Transgeracional. Foi realizado um estudo de caso com a participação de uma família, cuja criança apresenta sintomas de tendência antissocial. Participaram desta pesquisa: a criança, seus pais, sua avó materna e sua avó paterna. A avaliação realizada compreendeu a utilização da Bateria Hammer para todos os participantes; Teste de Apercepção Temática Infantil e Teste das Matrizes Progressivas Coloridas de Raven para a criança; entrevista psicológica semiestruturada e Questionário de Capacidades e Dificuldades (SDQ-Por) para a mãe; e Teste de Apercepção Temática para todos os adultos. Os materiais foram analisados a partir de uma perspectiva clínica psicanalítica, além das cotações propostas pelos manuais dos instrumentos. A partir dos dados obtidos, nota-se que os sintomas da criança estão intimamente relacionados às angústias, sofrimentos e incertezas dos membros de sua família. As duas avós apresentam uma história que as aproxima e contribui para a compreensão familiar, sendo que ambas expressam uma dependência em relação ao outro, de forma que buscam relações que possam auxiliá-las a satisfazer suas necessidades. As avós e a mãe da criança sofreram privações emocionais ao longo da vida, relacionadas à ausência de figuras importantes, à separação prematura de seus pais e ao holding deficitário, sem encontrarem alguém para suprir-lhes as carências afetivas. A criança recebe a angústia dessas mulheres e seu desejo de mudança, por ela expressos através de sua impulsividade e agitação. Já o pai demonstra sentimento de inutilidade e futilidade frente ao mundo, o que o faz se distanciar da família e dos cuidados da filha. Como seus pais evidenciam a ausência de figuras de identificação para o exercício das funções parentais, a criança recebe conteúdos não elaborados, ligados a perdas, busca por holding, depressão e sensação de ser exigida além do que pode oferecer. Os contornos do Self infantil são pouco definidos¸ e a menina não se sente protegida por uma imposição segura de limites. Os sintomas da criança parecem ser uma maneira que ela encontrou para elaborar os conteúdos que lhe foram transmitidos, buscar ajuda e receber holding. Faz-se necessária uma intervenção nessa família, para que o tratamento da criança seja efetivo. Outras pesquisas devem ser realizadas, a fim de aprofundar o conhecimento sobre a temática. / The psychological literature is unanimous in stating that the environment plays a very important whole in children\'s development process. In so being, the family may help or hinder their healthy growth. From an intergenerational perspective, it is possible to identify how the psychic transmission and the structuring process of the family organization (corresponding to the family inheritance on an unconscious level) occur as to the transfer of intrapsychic and intersubjective aspects. The antisocial trend can cause a major disruption of the expectations that society and the family have for the child, and the symptoms that characterize such trend encompass the presence of quarrels, aggression, opposition, lies, escaping from reality, and disobedience, among others. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the family psychodynamics involved in the onset and maintenance of antisocial trend in a female child of five years old, from the perspective of the Psychic Transgenerational Transmission theory. A case study including the participation of her family was conducted. So, the child, her parents, her maternal grandmother and her paternal grandmother were included. The evaluation encompassed the use of Hammer Battery (with all the participants); Children Apperception Test and Raven\'s Coloured Progressive Matrices Test (with the child); psychological interview and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-Per) (with the mother); and Thematic Apperception Test with all adults. The data were analyzed from a psychoanalytic clinical perspective, together with the conjectures proposed by manual instruments. It can be noted that the child\'s symptoms are closely related to the anguish, suffering and uncertainty of the members of her family. Both grandmothers have similar life histories, expressing a dependency on others, that contributes to the understanding of their families. Both wish to get involved in relationships that could help them to meet their needs. The child\'s grandmothers and mother have suffered emotional deceptions throughout life, which are related to the absence of important figures, due to premature separation of their parents and consequent deficit of holding, and did not find other person to meet their affective needs. The child receives the distresses of these women and their wishes of changes in their lives, expressing such feelings through her impulsiveness and restlessness. Her father demonstrates a feeling of uselessness and futility as to the world, leading him to an emotional distance from his family and his daughter\'s care. So, the chill\'s parents reveal major losses that led to the absence of figures of identification in exercising their parental responsibilities. The child receives contents not well elaborated, related to loss, search for holding, depression and feeling of being required, but with no conditions to answer accordingly. The contours of the child\'s Self are poorly defined and the girl does not feel protected by secure imposing limits. The child\'s symptoms seem to be a way she found to elaborate contends and seek for help and holding. An intervention should be carried out with this family to help the child\'s treatment. Further researches should be conducted to deepen the knowledge on the subject.

Parental trauma symptomatology can profoundly impact a child’s social/emotional and cognitive development, a phenomenon known as transgenerational trauma. Thus far, the majority of research examining transgenerational trauma has studied the concept within mothers from Westernized cultures and their children and adolescents. Very little attention has been given to families from diverse sociocultural contexts, and few studies have examined the effects of transgenerational trauma in infancy, a period of time marked by numerous developmental considerations. The current study addresses the limitations of past work by examining transgenerational trauma in refugee/infant dyads. Building upon existing models from previous studies, this research utilizes moderated mediation models to examine (1) the relation between maternal trauma symptomatology and atypical parenting behavior in predicting infant development, (2) the mediating role of atypical parenting behavior in the relation between maternal trauma symptomatology and infant development, and (3) the role of parental resiliency in mitigating the relation between maternal trauma symptomatology and atypical parenting behaviors. Data was collected from 61 refugee mother/infant dyads. Measures included culturally informed assessment of maternal trauma symptomatology, emotion-focused coping, problem-focused coping, psychological flexibility, observational coding of atypical parenting behaviors, and standardized assessment of infant cognitive and social/emotional development. Findings did not provide support for the hypothesized model of transgenerational trauma. Post-hoc analyses indicated that greater maternal trauma symptomatology is related to increased negative/intrusive parenting behavior, and increased maternal psychological flexibility is related to improved infant cognitive development. Implications for study findings are reviewed and directions for future research are delineated.