Search results

ObjectiveResearch on the impact study participation has on participants has shown that, even though they may find it stressful during participation, overall, they appear to benefit personally and emerge with a positive cost-benefit-balance. In 2013, the first psychological study on German occupation children (GOC), a potentially vulnerable and hidden study population, was conducted, after which respondents shared a high volume of positive feedback. In the context of a follow-up survey, the impact of study participation on participants was investigated to determine the causes of this distinctly positive outcome.MethodsMixed-methods approach using the standardized Reactions to Research Participation Questionnaire (RRPQ) as well as open-ended questions on expectations toward participation, and changes due to participation in dealing with GOC background and in personal life. Analyses included N = 65 participants (mean age 68.92, 40% men) and were carried out with descriptive measures for RRPQ and inductive content analysis for open-ended questions.ResultsParticipants specified six motives for participation besides answering the standardized form; 46.2% (n = 30) saw their expectations met. Although participation was related to negative emotions during participation, participants' overall experience was positive; 89.2% (n = 58) stated an inclination to participate again. 52.3% (n = 34) reported participation had helped develop new ways of dealing with their GOC experiences; five contributing factors were observed. Changes in private life were reported by 24.6% (n = 16); three aspects were identified. The vast majority (81.5%; n = 53) stated, following participation, they were able to disclose their GOC background to others. Participants placed emphasis on four aspects of this experience.ConclusionAlthough study participation was described as emotionally challenging during participation, participants felt that the overall impact it had on them was positive. The study was the first of its kind and thus presented an opportunity for a previously hidden population to step out of the dark, simultaneously gaining insight that helped them better understand themselves as GOC, and thereby increase their capacity for self-acceptance. Participants also benefitted from learning about the study's findings and connecting with other GOC through activities that ensued. In conclusion, results suggest that vulnerable and/or hidden populations benefit from specific attention to their lived experiences even at higher age.

Abstract. The Department of Medical Psychology and Sociology at the University of Leipzig deals with a wide scope of scientific working fields. First of all, the conduction of representative surveys for the validation of psychometric instruments, the exploration of multiple research topics and the supply of reliable information about public opinion is a central part of our work. These surveys basically contribute to an empirical foundation of the following research fields of our department: (1) epidemiologic research on mental disorders and bodily complaints, (2) development and validation of psychometric instruments, (3) health status and life conditions of care giving relatives, and (4) migration and health.

IntroductionBarbara Stelzl-Marx, Sabine Lee and Heide Glaesmer1. Children Born of War: A Critical Appraisal of the TerminologySabine Lee and Heide Glaesmer2. Oral History and Requirements: Translating Theory Into PracticeJakub Gałęziowski, Lisa Haberkern and Eva Käuper3. Ethical Challenges in Conducting Interviews with Children Born of War: Reflections on Navigating Participants' ExpectationsLukas Schretter, Kanako Kuramitsu and Nastassia Sersté4. Implementing Research Ethics in an Interdisciplinary Research and Training Network -- The CHIBOW ProjectMarie Kaiser, Sabine Lee and Heide Glaesmer5. Researching Children Born of War in Uganda: Methodological Reflections on the Inclusion of Minors in CBOW ResearchEunice Akullo and Boniface Ojok6. An Intergenerational Perspective on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Against Women: Female Survivors and Their Children Born of RapeSophie Roupetz, Amra Delic and Heide Glaesmer7. Addressing The Needs Of Mothers And Their Children Born Of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: A Framework For Support In Psychosocial SettingsKimberley Anderson8. Questions of Identity in German Occupation Children Born after World War II: Approaching a Complex Phenomenon with Mixed-Method AnalysesSaskia Mitreuter9. Alimony Payments for Children Born of War: A Case Study of British Occupation Children in Austria and Germany after World War IILukas Schretter10. Transgenerational Transmission of MemoriesLisa Haberkern11. Children as Collateral Damage of Nationalisation Campaigns? The Persecution of Nationally Unreliable Persons in Czechoslovakia after the Second World WarMichal Korhel12. Representations of CBOW in Films of Soviet Occupied Latvia and BeyondOskars Gruziņš13. Children Born Of The Indochina War: National 'Reclassification', Diversity, And Multiple Feelings Of BelongingEva Käuper14. Wife, Victim, Murderer, Mother: Women Imprisoned for Killing an Abusive Husband in Post-Conflict UgandaEleanor Seymour

ObjectiveChildren Born of War (CBOW) are an international and timeless phenomenon that exists in every country involved in war or armed conflict. Nevertheless, little is known on a systematic level about those children, who are typically fathered by a foreign or enemy soldier and born to a local mother. In particular, the identity issues that CBOW often report have remained largely uninvestigated. In the current qualitative study we began filling this gap in the scientific literature by asking how CBOW construct their identity in self-descriptions.MethodWe utilized thematic content analysis of N = 122 German CBOWs' answers to an open-ended questionnaire item asking how they see themselves and their identity in the context of being a CBOW.ResultsWe identified five key themes in CBOW' identity accounts. Loneliness and lack of belonging appeared as a paramount aspect of their self-descriptions next to narratives about belonging and positive relationship. On a less interpersonal basis, we found fighting and surviving and searching for truth and completion overarching aspects of their identities. There were also few accounts growing up unaffected by the fact of being born a CBOW. Although all themes portray different perspectives, they all (but the last one) clearly indicate the impeded circumstances under which CBOW had to grow up.ConclusionsIntegrating our findings with existing interdisciplinary literature regarding identity, we discuss implications for future research and clinical and political practice.

Abstract. Background: The elevated risk of suicide in veterinarians is still not well understood, but euthanasia distress and increased fearlessness about death (FAD) have been discussed as specific risk factors. Aims: We investigated German veterinarians to test whether FAD is increased compared with the general population, whether FAD is associated with euthanasia distress, and whether there are differences between different fields in veterinary medicine. Methods: German veterinarians were assessed via self-report instruments and compared with a representative general population sample. There was no difference in FAD. Lower euthanasia distress was significantly associated with higher FAD. Limitations: Although we were able to recruit a large sample of veterinarians, the generalizability is limited by the voluntary nature of participation and the related risk of bias. Results: There was no difference in FAD. Lower euthanasia distress was significantly associated with higher FAD. Conclusion: Although lower euthanasia distress as an indicator of habituation to euthanasia is associated with higher FAD, one cannot assume that increased FAD in veterinarians is a specific risk factor for suicidality in veterinarians.

Abstract
Background
The United Nations (UN) Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) comprises the largest and longest serving peacekeeping operation to date. Since the launch of the mission in 1999, sexual relations between UN peacekeepers and the local population regularly occur; some resulting in children being conceived. Reports have indicated that women and girls bearing children from such relations face difficult socio-economic realities. The present study is the first to explore the situation of peacekeeper fathered children (PKFC) through a qualitative analysis that includes interview material from mothers and child participants.

Methods
The article uses theories from stigma research to illustrate how children conceived through sexual relations with UN peacekeepers integrate into social networks. We conducted a case study of mothers and their PKFC at different sites of UN peacekeeping (UNPK) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Based on 95 in-depth interviews held in 2018, a thematic qualitative analysis examined experiences of stigma and discrimination. In order to understand the challenges of mothers and children from a transgenerational perspective, we evaluated perceptions of rejection rooted in the mother-child relationship.

Results
Of the mothers and children surveyed, a large majority struggled with stigmatizing behaviour by family and/or community members. PKFC perceived their discrimination to be based upon their mixed ethnicity, fatherlessness, illegitimacy at birth, as well as a lack of resources and opportunity. Mothers most often attributed their stigma to economic deprivation, extra-marital sexual relations, single parenting and being associated with UNPK. Parallels in the experiences of mothers and children suggest a bi-directional transmission of status loss and stigma between generations.

Conclusions
This is the first empirical study to compare the situation of PKFC and their mothers in any country of UNPK deployment. The findings highlight multiple burdens that affect their daily lives and illustrate an interplay between drivers of stigmatization for mothers and children. The overarching needs identified are financial, and these call for action regarding policies and programmes that provide resources to those concerned. The results further demonstrate the need for psychosocial support that considers transgenerational dynamics and both mothers and children as core addressees of assistance.

BACKGROUND: The United Nations (UN) Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) comprises the largest and longest serving peacekeeping operation to date. Since the launch of the mission in 1999, sexual relations between UN peacekeepers and the local population regularly occur; some resulting in children being conceived. Reports have indicated that women and girls bearing children from such relations face difficult socio-economic realities. The present study is the first to explore the situation of peacekeeper fathered children (PKFC) through a qualitative analysis that includes interview material from mothers and child participants. METHODS: The article uses theories from stigma research to illustrate how children conceived through sexual relations with UN peacekeepers integrate into social networks. We conducted a case study of mothers and their PKFC at different sites of UN peacekeeping (UNPK) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Based on 95 in-depth interviews held in 2018, a thematic qualitative analysis examined experiences of stigma and discrimination. In order to understand the challenges of mothers and children from a transgenerational perspective, we evaluated perceptions of rejection rooted in the mother-child relationship. RESULTS: Of the mothers and children surveyed, a large majority struggled with stigmatizing behaviour by family and/or community members. PKFC perceived their discrimination to be based upon their mixed ethnicity, fatherlessness, illegitimacy at birth, as well as a lack of resources and opportunity. Mothers most often attributed their stigma to economic deprivation, extra-marital sexual relations, single parenting and being associated with UNPK. Parallels in the experiences of mothers and children suggest a bi-directional transmission of status loss and stigma between generations. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first empirical study to compare the situation of PKFC and their mothers in any country of UNPK deployment. The findings highlight ...

In der DDR waren zwischen 1949 und 1989 etwa eine halbe Million Kinder und Jugendliche in Normal- und Spezialheimen sowie Jugendwerkhöfen untergebracht. Ihre oftmals belastenden und traumatischen Erfahrungen und die psychosozialen Folgen wurden bisher zu wenig beachtet. Das Buch gibt Einblicke in die Ergebnisse des interdisziplinären Forschungsverbunds "Testimony – Erfahrungen in DDR-Kinderheimen. Bewältigung und Aufarbeitung". Im Fokus stehen das Erleben der damaligen Kinder und Jugendlichen und ihre Bewältigungsleistungen bis in die Gegenwart, die für die gesellschaftliche Aufarbeitung von großer Bedeutung sind. Die große Stärke des Bandes ist das weite Spektrum der angelegten Perspektiven. Ein Buch für wissenschaftlich Interessierte und Praktiker:innen aus dem Bereich der psychosozialen Versorgung, aber auch für die Betroffenen selbst.