Violence experienced by Syrian refugee women during pregnancy leaves biological marks on future generations, altering DNA methylation and accelerating biological ageing in children. These findings reveal an intergenerational epigenetic signature of trauma, with potential long-term impacts on healthspan and resilience across generations.
February 2025 – Scientific Reports
Key takeaways
- Trauma leaves a biological trace: Experiences of war-related violence by pregnant Syrian refugee women were found to imprint biological changes on their children and grandchildren through altered DNA methylation patterns. These molecular changes are not just theoretical; they reflect a biological memory of trauma, potentially influencing lifelong stress responses, disease susceptibility, and overall healthspan in descendants
- Shared epigenetic response across generations: Despite differences in timing, whether individuals experienced violence directly, were exposed in the womb, or were affected through changes in their mother’s eggs, all groups showed similar patterns of DNA methylation changes at most sites. This suggests the human body may have a core epigenetic mechanism for processing severe psychosocial stress that operates consistently across generations and stages of development
- Violence accelerates biological ageing: Children who were in utero during violent conflict showed signs of epigenetic age acceleration, meaning their biological ageing outpaced their chronological age. This shift, detected through specialised epigenetic clocks, could predispose these children to earlier onset of age-related diseases and reduced healthspan, highlighting how prenatal stress may set the trajectory for faster ageing and diminished vitality later in life
- Germline exposure carries long-term effects: Even when violence was experienced not by the child’s mother but by the grandmother, while pregnant with the mother, researchers found 14 distinct DNA methylation sites altered in the grandchildren. This provides rare evidence in humans that trauma can leave molecular marks on eggs or sperm, potentially influencing the biology and wellbeing of future generations before they are even conceived
Read the article at: Mulligan, Connie J., et al. “Epigenetic signatures of intergenerational exposure to violence in three generations of Syrian refugees.” Scientific Reports, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89818-z.
