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This article examines the little-known experiences of children born of Chinese mothers and Japanese fathers who had consensual relationships during and after the Second Sino-Japanese War in China, with a specific focus on those who migrated to Japan after 1972. To understand how and why they—in their own words—“returned” to their “homeland,” this article analyzes historical circumstances as well as Sino-Japanese children’s experiences, identities, and belonging in comparison with other groups of “children born of war” in different historical and geopolitical settings. Their long-neglected stories point to a missing part in narratives of the 8-year war.

Background:

Children born of war are a common phenomenon of conflict. In the aftermath of World War II, more than 200,000 German occupation children (GOC) were fathered by occupation soldiers and born to local women. GOC often grew up under difficult conditions and showed high prevalence rates of mental disorders even decades later.

Methods:

Experiences of childhood maltreatment and their association with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and somatization in GOC (N = 146) are investigated and compared with a representative birth-cohort-matched sample (BCMS) from the German general population (N = 920).

Results:

Outcomes show significantly higher prevalence rates of emotional abuse/neglect, physical, and sexual abuse in GOC compared to BCMS. All five subtypes of childhood maltreatment increase the risk of PTSD and somatoform syndrome; depressive syndromes are associated with emotional abuse/neglect and physical abuse. GOC were at high risk of childhood maltreatment.

Conclusions:

Findings underline the complex, long-term impact of developmental conditions and childhood maltreatment on mental disorders even decades later.

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Sino-Japanese Children Born of the Second Sino-Japanese War Who “Returned” to Their “Homeland”: Experiences, Identities, and Belonging – ERRATUM

Sino-Japanese Children Born of the Second Sino-Japanese War Who “Returned” to Their “Homeland”: Experiences, Identities, and Belonging

Childhood maltreatment in children born of occupation after WWII in Germany and its association with mental disorders

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3 results

Sino-Japanese Children Born of the Second Sino-Japanese War Who “Returned” to Their “Homeland”: Experiences, Identities, and Belonging – ERRATUM

Sino-Japanese Children Born of the Second Sino-Japanese War Who “Returned” to Their “Homeland”: Experiences, Identities, and Belonging

Childhood maltreatment in children born of occupation after WWII in Germany and its association with mental disorders