Publication Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Zhu, Peitao

Degree Name

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Legacy Department

Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)

Abstract

Despite extensive research documenting cultural and racialized trauma, no validated assessment tool had previously captured the intrafamilial mechanisms of trauma transmission specific to the BADEP population, whose trauma lineage is rooted in slavery. The present study addresses this gap through the development and initial validation of the Survivors of Historical Intergenerational and Familial Trauma Scale (SHIFTS), a culturally grounded instrument designed to measure the transmission of historical trauma (HT) and ongoing intergenerational trauma (IGT) among Black American Descendants of Enslaved People (BADEPs). The SHIFTS examines how HT gives rise to the continued transmission of two interrelated legacies: survival-based and trauma-rooted caregiving practices, and assimilationist ideologies absorbed and reinforced both under and beyond slavery.

Grounded in the integration of HT, IGT, and parent typology models, the instrument was initially conceptualized across six interconnected domains. Its psychometric properties were evaluated using a cross-sectional design with a sample of BADEP participants (N = 284). An exploratory factor analysis refined the initial 43-item pool into a parsimonious 36-item, four-factor structure: (a) Internalized Trauma and Identity-Related Stress, (b) Intergenerational Neglect and Affective Deprivation, (c) Trauma-Based Hypervigilance and Chronic Threat Monitoring, and (d) Generational Asset Deprivation and Survivalist Socialization that explained 49.38% of the total variance.

The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability, with a total McDonald’s omega of .95 and subscale coefficients ranging from .80 to .90. Predictive validity was established through significant moderate negative correlations between SHIFTS total scores and both the Trauma Recovery Measure (TRM; r = −.42, p < .001) and the Personal Wellbeing Index–Adult (PWI-A; r = −.48, p < .001), indicating that higher levels of HT and IGT are associated with diminished trauma recovery and lower personal wellbeing among BADEP individuals. These empirical findings inform clinical training, therapeutic frameworks, and community initiatives promoting holistic healing. By introducing the first psychometrically validated instrument for assessing the intergenerational impact of slavery on BADEP individuals, this research bridges a critical gap in trauma assessment and advances culturally responsive mental health practice.

Extent

189 pages

Language

en

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

Download

Share

COinS