Legacy of the GDR: regional disparities in childhood maltreatment in post-unification Germany
Significant regional disparities in childhood maltreatment were observed among individuals raised in post-unification Germany, suggesting the persistence of sociopolitical influences from the former GDR as a protective factor. These findings underscore the importance of understanding transgenerational transmission factors of childhood maltreatment, such as parenting behaviors within differing sociopolitical contexts. The results have important implications for child welfare policies, emphasizing the need to address regional disparities and to incorporate historical and sociopolitical factors into future research and intervention strategies.
Authors
- Thomas McLaren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8899-5476)
- Scarlett Heiner
- Manfred E. Beutel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1743-0042)
- Christoph Kasinger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5590-0645)
- Vera Clemens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5485-4691)
- Austin N. Heller
- Elmar Brähler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2648-2728)
Institutions
- Universität Ulm (DE)
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (DE)
- University Hospital Leipzig (DE)
- Leipzig University (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
- Published
- 2025-03-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-025-00876-7
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Child Abuse and Trauma
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.31
Funders
- Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz