HJNO Nov/Dec 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS  I  NOV / DEC 2021 51 Jan Kasofsky, PhD Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health & Human Services Access Health Louisiana my family, my club, my group, my orga- nization, then for me to belong, I must act in a manner consistent with this nar- rative.” It sets an expectation, sets a moral framework, or defines specific behaviors or activities that one would exemplify as a member. For example, if you are a mem- ber of a family involved in the civil rights movement or social justice, you might as- sume the role and join the fight for equal- ity, anti-racism and fairness for others. You also understand how your family, and you, have a place in this historical move- ment. Another example of family stories providing strength through knowledge of past perseverance is knowing about a grandmother’s escape and rescue from her roof during Hurricane Betsy, or a mother’s escape and recovery from Hurricane Ka- trina’s floodwaters and property damages; this knowledge supports a child’s belief that they can be resilient, too, in their re- sponse to Hurricane Ida. Family narratives have been shown to help establish a sense of identity and sta- bility. Conveying these important stories to children and adolescents need not be a formal recitation but can be shared during relaxed times and are especially welcome when families get together informally for meals, special events and holidays. Stories aren’t always interesting and elaborate; they can be funny, too. Sometimes it’s the act of communicating that is more im- portant than the content. Sharing family stories may even already be a part of your tradition. Children love and need to hear how a present-day family member or an ancestor overcame obstacles that seemed insurmountable. Certainly, the very people we call “the greatest generation” weren’t great because they had it so easy; they were great because they worked hard in a time of great personal and family sacrifice. It is the sharing of lived experience that makes an abstract idea more real and gives children a sense of how to live in the world. Even when you think your child, or par- ticularly your adolescent, isn’t listening to your story, you’ll be surprised at how hungry they are to hear more about how you overcame your awkwardness, social isolation, heartbreak, lack of athleticism, racism, fashion or hair/makeup crisis, the passing of a loved one, a divorce, coming to terms with your sexuality, incarceration, and on and on and on. How beautiful to know that your family story, or an inter- generational narrative of hardship, can be shared and hold the answer for a young person who is desperately seeking an- swers during this time of great upheaval. Don’t let their deep sighs or eye rolling fool you. They are devouring every word and story to use at another time to help guide them through their own challenges. In Louisiana, we have faced many, many challenges together. I have no doubt that this inter reliance and shared history of overcoming so much together is what makes us “Louisiana Strong.”We share our stories across families, neighborhoods, parishes and generations. We can learn from stories of past hardships and use the resilience of our elders to put our pres- ent-day challenges into perspective. n confidence. Learning about our family members’ past struggles and successes, and how circumstances may have oscil- lated between the two, makes us feel less hopeless and alone. When we know that troubles and tragedies were faced and overcome by the family or the group we belong to, we feel pride and become more confident that we, too, can overcome chal- lenges and see the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel.” Studies initiated in the mid-1990s at Emory University and conducted pres- ently by psychologists Marshall and Sara Duke, MDs, and Robyn Fivush, MD, show that children and adolescents who know their family’s history are better at facing challenges and are more resilient. To prove this hypothesis, the researchers developed a list of 20 simple questions — such as, do you know your nationality, where your parents went to high school and where your parents met — and asked children and adolescents to answer them. They found that the more a child or adolescent knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more they believed in their family’s ability to succeed. These children also displayed a greater ability to manage the effects of stress. Family stories, regardless of whether they are contemporary or intergenera- tional, create a unifying narrative and are central to an individual’s sense that they are part of something bigger than them- selves. These narratives set a standard for behavior, meaning, “if this story describes