About Me
I am a PhD student and researcher at Ruhr University Bochum and the German Center for Mental Health, interested in Global Family Wellbeing. My research explores how physical health, cognitive factors, and socio-cultural frameworks shape family dynamics. Currently, I study separation anxiety in children across different cultural contexts. In my work, I prioritize innovative research methods and Open Science practices.
Research Interests
- Prevention in childhood
- Social & cultural factors
- Anxiety disorders
- Chronic illnesses
- Research methods and statistics
Current Projects
- Global Cultural Change - Associations Between Cultural Socialization Goals and Child Anxiety (fbz-bochum.de)
- W.ELT – Was Eltern wichtig ist! Culture and Parental Perceptions of Child Behaviors (fbz-bochum.de)
- IMPECC-De/Tk - Impact of Pediatric Cancer on Families Across Cultures (fbz-bochum.de)
- Co-Sep Study - Coregulation Dynamics Between Mothers and Children in Separation Situations (fbz-bochum.de)
- Urban Mental Health - Promoting the mental health of children, adolescents, and their families in an urban context with a special focus on neighborhoods with a low socio-economic background (dzpg.org)
- Mapping Developmental Expectations Across WEIRD Cultures (centerforappliedcogsci.com)
Publications
Peer-reviewed articles (11)
- Kulisch, L. K., Domínguez Rojas, A. L., Schneider, S., & Voigt, B. (2026). Global Cultural Change and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: Analyzing Socialization Goals Over Three Decades in 70 Countries. Developmental Science, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.70157
- Schepper, F., Santel, A., Herrmann, J., Herzog, K., Kulisch, L. K., Kühl, J. S., & Martini, J. (2025). Psychometric Properties of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire for Children in Two German Samples (Acute Treatment and Follow-Up Care). Psycho-Oncology, e70254. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.70254
- Engelhardt-Lohrke, C., Schlüter, L., Kulisch, L. K., Förderer, M., & Jagla-Franke, M. (2025). Lebensqualität von Geschwistern von Kindern mit chronischen Erkrankungen: Übereinstimmungen von Selbst- und Elternbericht. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-025-01243-2
- Kranhold, A.-L., Neuhoff, L., Bunz, M., Derhardt, R., Schreiber, F., Popp, L., Kulisch, L. K., Schneider, S., Christiansen, H., In-Albon, T., Walper, S., & Bartnick, C. (2025). Die Helikopter-Eltern der Forschung. Kindheit und Entwicklung, 34(1), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000474
- Popp, L., Voigt, B., Julich, A., König, H.-H., Brettschneider, C., Kulisch, L. K., Sterner, P., Falkai, P., & Schneider, S. (2025). Urban Mental Health: Förderung der psychischen Gesundheit von jungen Menschen in der Stadt. Kindheit und Entwicklung, 34(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000471
- Herrmann, J., Santel, A., Kulisch, L. K., Kern, L., Hoffmann, R., Engelhardt-Lohrke, C., … Schepper, F. (2024). Pilotierung einer Intervention zur Bewältigung von Progredienzangst in Familien mit einem Kind mit Krebserkrankung: Zufriedenheit, Manualtreue und Anwendbarkeit. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, 53(2), 72–83. https://doi.org/10.1026/1616-3443/a000758
- Kulisch, L. K., Engelhardt-Lohrke, C., & Jagla-Franke, M. (2024). Coping behaviours among siblings of children with chronic health conditions. Advances in Mental Health, 23(1), 4–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/18387357.2024.2329092
- Kulisch, L. K., Arumäe, K., Briley, D. A., & Vainik, U. (2023). Triangulating causality between childhood obesity and neurobehavior: Behavioral genetic and longitudinal evidence. Developmental Science, 26(6). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13392
- Kulisch, L. K., Herrmann, J., Herzog, K., Einsiedel, H. G., Kamm-Thonwart, R., Hoffmann, R., Jäschke, Y., Martini, J., & Schepper, F. (2023). Screening zur Einschätzung des psychosozialen Nachsorgebedarfs in der pädiatrischen Onkologie (NPO-11) für Selbst- und Elternbericht. Klinische Pädiatrie, 235(3), 178–184. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2070-7720
- Sievert, C.†, Kulisch, L. K.†, Engelhardt-Lohrke, C., Kowalewski, K., & Jagla-Franke, M. (2023). Risikofaktoren bei Geschwistern chronisch kranker/behinderter Kinder. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-023-01044-5
† Equal contribution - Engelhardt-Lohrke, C., Kulisch, L. K., Schepper, F., Herrmann, J., Herzog, K., & Martini, J. (2022). Resilienzförderung bei Geschwistern von kranken und behinderten Kindern: Welche Rolle spielen das Geschlecht, das Alter und die Geburtenreihenfolge im Präventionsprogramm GeschwisterTREFF „Jetzt bin ICH mal dran!“. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung, 17, 320–327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-021-00880-7
Articles without peer-review (1)
- Engelhardt-Lohrke, C., Kulisch, L. K., & Jagla-Franke, M. (2021). COVID-19-Pandemie: Geschwister von Kindern mit Erkrankung oder Behinderung. Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, 21(1), 66.
Invited talks (5)
- Kulisch, L. K., Dong, S., Lu, S., Schneider, S., & Voigt, B. (2025, December). Pathology or normality? How parents in different cultures assess symptoms of anxiety and seek help. Invited talk at the Personality Psychology Research Colloquium at Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
- Kulisch, L. K. (2025, August). Cultural change, socialization norms, and child anxiety. Invited talk at the Center for Applied Cognitive Science Research Colloquium at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA.
- Kulisch, L. K., Dong, S., Lu, S., Schneider, S., & Voigt, B. (2025, July). Ist das noch normal? Wie Eltern in verschiedenen Kulturen Angstsymptome bewerten und Hilfe suchen. Invited talk at the Psychological Research Methods and Evaluation Research Colloquium at Hildesheim University, Hildesheim, Germany.
- Kulisch, L. K. (2025, July). The IMPECC-De study: IMpact of PEdiatric Cancer on families across Cultures. Invited talk at the West German Proton Therapy Center (WPE) Research Colloquium at Essen University Hospital, Essen, Germany.
- Kulisch, L. K., Plank, L., Exner, A., Schneider, S., Seehagen, S., Zlomuzica, A., & Voigt, B. (2024, May). Coregulation dynamics between mothers and children in separation situations: Does social orientation influence separation anxiety aymptoms? Invited talk at the Developmental Psychology Research Colloquium at Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Conference presentations (5)
- Kulisch, L. K., Dong, S., Lu, S., Schneider, S., & Voigt, B. (2025, March). Pathology or normalcy? Culture and child separation anxiety. Presentation at Situated Cognition Spring School 2025, Bochum, Germany.
- Kulisch, L. K., Lu, S., Dong, S., Schneider, S., & Voigt, B. (2024, September). The influence of culture on the parental perception of child separation anxiety disorder symptoms in Germany and China. Presentation at 53rd DGPs Congress / 15th ÖGP Conference, Vienna, Austria.
- Kulisch, L. K., Domínguez Rojas, A. L., Schneider, S., & Voigt, B. (2024, June). Freedom, faith, and fears: Unraveling the association between cultural socialization goals and child anxiety. Presentation at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Jean Piaget Society, Toronto, Canada.
- Kulisch, L. K., Plank, L., Exner, A., Schneider, S., Seehagen, S., Zlomuzica, A., & Voigt, B. (2024, June). The effects of parental cognitions on dynamic parent-child interactions and separation anxiety aymptoms. Presentation at the Empirical Investigations of Situated Cognition RTG workshop, Osnabrück, Germany.
- Kulisch, L. K., Arumäe, K., Briley, D. A., & Vainik, U. (2022, April). Causal relationships between childhood obesity and its neurobehavioral correlates: A twin modelling study. Presentation at The British Feeding and Drinking Group (BFDG) 46th Annual Meeting, Online / Leeds, UK.
Conference posters (2)
- Kulisch, L. K., Voigt, B., Lu, S., Seehagen, S., & Schneider, S. (2023, November). The influence of culture on the parental perception of child separation anxiety disorder symptoms in Germany and China. Poster & Speed Presentation at Conference of the Health and Development Institute, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
- Kulisch, L. K., & Engelhardt-Lohrke, C. (2022, May). Die Rolle von Bindungsverhalten bei der Entstehung von psychischen Problemen bei Geschwistern von Kindern mit chronischen Erkrankungen. Poster at 79. Tagung der Psychosozialen Arbeitsgemeinschaft in der Pädiatrischen Onkologie und Hämatologie, Heidelberg, Germany.
Popular scientific magazine articles (2)
- Familien sind widerstandsfähig! Eine psychologische Perspektive auf Familienbeziehungen in der Kinderonkologie. Wir – Die Zeitschrift der Deutschen Kinderkrebsstiftung und der Deutschen Leukämie-Forschungshilfe e.V., November 2023.
- Geschwisterkinder und die Rolle der Eltern-Kind-Bindung. Wir – Die Zeitschrift der Deutschen Kinderkrebsstiftung und der Deutschen Leukämie-Forschungshilfe e.V., August 2022.
Teaching
- Research Seminar: Clinical Psychology, Seminar, Ruhr University Bochum, Summer Semester 2026
- Research Seminar: Clinical Psychology, Seminar, Ruhr University Bochum, Fall Semester 2025/26
- Evaluation and Research Methodology, Tutorial, Leipzig University, Spring Semester 2022
- Evaluation and Research Methodology, Tutorial, Leipzig University, Fall Semester 2021/22
Grants & Awards
- Project International (PR.INT) Travel Grant, 2025, Ruhr University Bochum Research School, ca. 3,500.00 Euro
- Early Career Scientist Independence Grant (as co-applicant; PI Dr. Babett Voigt), 2024, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), 1,500.00 Euro
- Seed Funding, 2024, Health and Development Institute, Ruhr University Bochum, 2,000.00 Euro
- Poster Prize, 2023, Conference of the Health and Development Institute, Ruhr University Bochum
- Recognition Award of German Childhood Cancer Aftercare (to the work group), 2023, “Deutsche Kinderkrebsnachsorge” Foundation for Chronically Ill Children, 5,000.00 Euro
- Erasmus+ Trainee Scholarship, 2021, Tartu University/ Leipzig University, Estonia/ Germany, ca. 1,900.00 Euro
- Summer School Participation Scholarship, 2019, Archimedes Foundation, Estonia, 225.00 Euro
Memberships & Journal Roles
Memberships in scientific associations
- DGPs - German Psychological Society
- IACCP - International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology
- ISSBD - International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development
Ad-hoc reviewer
- Journal of Pediatric Psychology
Contact
Email: leonard [dot] kulisch [at] rub [dot] de
Ruhr-Universität Bochum Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrum für psychische Gesundheit (FBZ) Klinische Kinder- und Jugendpsychologie Massenbergstraße 9-13 44787 Bochum
Profile @ Ruhr University Bochum Profile @ ResearchGate Profile @ Google Scholar Profile @ ORCID Profile @ Scopus Profile @ Open Science Framework (OSF)