Applying Betrayal Trauma Theory to Addressing Intergenerationally and Systemically Perpetrated Trauma

Betrayal trauma theory offers an important framework for preventing and responding to cumulative adverse childhood experiences. From its inception, betrayal trauma theory has highlighted the importance of the context in which trauma occurs, with applications ranging from parent-child relationships and romantic relationships to the role of institutions in shaping traumatic experiences. This chapter will address how utilizing betrayal trauma theory can support trauma-informed approaches to protecting children by contextualizing the range of diverse relationships that surround interpersonal trauma and their effects on traumatic experiences and outcomes. Furthermore, we will discuss how researchers and providers at the individual level and at the systemic level can better understand and address the accumulation of betrayals over lifetimes, beginning in childhood and perpetuated via intergenerational transmissions of trauma, through trauma-informed and multidisciplinary approaches to protecting children and their families.