Childhood Adversities and Later Attitudes towards Harmful Parenting Behaviour including Shaking in a German Population‐based Sample

2020

Association of child maltreatment subtypes and long-term physical health in a German representative sample

2018

ABSTRACT Background: Child maltreatment is a major public problem, associated with enormous consequences on the individual and socioeconomic level. Studies show a clear impact of child maltreatment on long-term physical health. However, there is a lack of analyses comprising a wide variety of subtypes of maltreatment and addressing cumulative effects of different maltreatment subtypes experienced during childhood on physical health. Objective: The objective of this analysis was to assess the association of different subtypes and the intensity of child maltreatment with long-term physical health outcomes. Methods: In a cross-sectional observational approach, a representative sample of the Ge…

Authoritarianism and the transgenerational transmission of corporal punishment.

2019

Abstract Background Authoritarianism, firstly described by Horkheimer in 1936, is characterized by submission to authorities, aggression against subordinates and conventionalism. Authoritarianism is discussed as major contributor for right-wing attitudes. Horkheimer hypothesized that authoritarianism has its origin in the experience of harsh parenting and exposure to corporal punishment (CP) by authoritarian parents. The other way around, literature points towards an association between conventionalism and support of CP as disciplinary method, suggesting a role of authoritarianism in the vicious cycle of transgenerational transmission of CP. Objective We aimed to assess the association of a…

Child maltreatment by nursing staff and caregivers in German institutions: A population-representative analysis.

2019

Abstract Background Child maltreatment by caregivers seem to make a significant contribution to general maltreatment rates. Interestingly, research assessing prevalence rates of maltreatment mainly focuses on individual components either in relation to different types of maltreatment or in relation to different types of institutions. Objective The current study assesses prevalence rates for child maltreatment by caregivers in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, facilities for the disabled, schools, Kindergartens, and after-school care or residential care. Participants and setting: In a cross-sectional survey, a representative sample of the German population above the age of 14 (N = 2,516) wa…

The Interplay between Child Maltreatment and Stressful Life Events during Adulthood and Cardiovascular Problems—A Representative Study

2021

Psychological stress is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. While the relevance of early life stress, such as that which is due to child maltreatment (CM), is well known to impact individual stress responses in the long-term, and data on the interplay between CM and stressful events in adulthood on cardiovascular health are sparse. Here, we aimed to assess how stressful life events in adulthood are associated with cardiovascular health infarction in later life and whether this association is independent of CM. In a cross-sectional design, a probability sample of the German population above the age of 14 was drawn using different sampling steps. The final sample included 2510 pe…

The immediate impact of lockdown measures on mental health and couples’ relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021

BackgroundLockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to have negative effects on mental health and relationship quality. However, little is known about the magnitude of these psychological effects on a population level and for vulnerable subgroups.MethodsA representative sample (N = 2503; 50.2% female; mean age = 49.5) of the German population was assessed face-to-face during the COVID-19 pandemic (February 10-April 25, 2020). They were examined for differences in mental health (BSI-18) and relationship quality (PFB) in a pre-lockdown and lockdown subsamples. After testing and establishing the measurement models in confirmatory factor analyses, we added covariates as predic…

#patientstoo - Professional sexual misconduct by healthcare professionals towards patients: a representative study.

2021

Abstract Aims Sexual border violations are a severe problem in the healthcare system. Studies using non-probability samples indicate a high prevalence of professional sexual misconduct (PSM) towards patients. However, valid prevalence rates are lacking. Methods We did a cross-sectional, observational study in Germany from February to April 2020. By different sampling steps, a probability sample of the German population above the age of 14 was generated. The final sample consisted 2503 persons (50.2% female, mean age: 49.5 years). Participants were asked about sexual contacts with and sexual harassment by healthcare professionals. Using descriptive statistics, prevalence rates of PSM were es…

Child maltreatment is mediating long-term consequences of household dysfunction in a population representative sample.

2019

AbstractBackground:Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) exhibit long-lasting consequences on later life and are considered as a major public health problem. ACEs can be divided into household dysfunctions, which affect the child indirectly, and direct maltreatment. As a high correlation between ACEs in general is known, we assessed the risk for child maltreatment associated with the occurrence of household dysfunctions. To provide a better understanding for the mechanisms leading to the deleterious sequelae of ACEs, we furthermore assessed whether the long-term consequences of household dysfunction are mediated by child maltreatment and thereby might be targeted by effective child protection…