Jamaica study links emotional abuse to later violence as experts urge national trauma response

Fresh research is drawing attention to how trauma in Jamaica can echo across generations, shaping both public understanding of mental illness and the way people seek help. The issue took centre stage at the Caribbean Mental Health Summit held over the weekend in New Kingston, where clinicians warned that harm often remains hidden yet deeply felt—from harsh punishment to emotional neglect—and can be passed from one generation to the next.

Clinical psychologist Dr Kai Morgan Campbell said historical patterns of violence continue to influence present-day behaviour. "We have been bred into violence. Violence was the way on the plantation that we were that we were disciplined, right? So, we were always punished with violence and that becomes our go-to today. So, all of these things coming from that idea that we have to shame our people, we have to denigrate our people, we have to punish them physically leads to some of the things that we're seeing today," she said.

Findings from a recent Cari-Journeys study involving 555 participants showed that people who faced emotional abuse were 51% more likely to display violent behaviour later in life. The non-profit organisation works to promote trauma-informed communities across the Caribbean. Researchers reported that 44% of those surveyed had been violent, and that emotional abuse in childhood was common among that group.

In many Jamaican communities, distress is not always read through a medical frame. Symptoms are sometimes explained as spiritual attack or warfare—a view that can slow or block clinical treatment. Speakers at the summit noted that some people would rather pray, speak in tongues, or dance than address underlying mental health needs, and that faith practices may focus on blame or external causes rather than what is happening within.

Professionals described the gap between religious interpretation and evidence-based care as a major barrier to treatment. There are rising demands for a national trauma-informed strategy that respects cultural belief while grounding care in proven methods and treating mental health as a shared societal responsibility. Advocates also pointed to fragmented efforts across the island and argued that Jamaica needs a coordinated, full-scale national mental health response rather than isolated programmes working in silos.