Tuskegee Then and Now: An Exploration of Historical Trauma in the Life of a Direct Descendant

The specter of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study looms large in the research literature, particularly related to African-American’s distrust of medical research. Less is known about how direct descendants of study victims perceive health care institutions and providers.

The purpose of this study is to explore the long-term implications of the Tuskegee Study on a woman whose great-grandfather died of untreated syphilis as a result. The study explores the 1) role of historical trauma on Black populations; 2) inter-generational impact of trauma in a Black family; and 3) implications of these events on engagement with healthcare providers.

This study used the case study method to explore the experience of one woman who is a direct descendant. The respondent, a 37-year old married woman with children, was recruited as part of a larger study on healthcare disparities among the Black middle class. Data are based on a focus group and a 2-hour in-depth interview.

The Tuskegee Study continues to affect the behavior of direct descendants. Members of the respondent’s family strictly prohibited her from seeking medical care from any non-Black healthcare provider. As an adult, the respondent refused to allow her children to be treated by a non-Black healthcare provider. The respondent and her family developed these strategies to counteract the particular trauma of Tuskegee and the general trauma of being treated negatively in majority White institutions.

This study provides historically situated insights into how Black people interpret racial discrimination, and strategies they use to counteract it, including seeking race-concordant healthcare providers.