Mental health of the youth

prof. dr. Pauline W. Jansen

Developmental psychopathology

Pauline Jansen uses population-based studies to identify determinants and predictors of mental health problems in youth, with a specific focus on 1) eating-related problems and comorbidity (with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, mood problems); and 2) vulnerable youth, e.g. with a low socioeconomic or migration background.

prof. dr. Peter Prinzie

Developmental psychology

Peter Prinzie studies three broad questions: (1) How do parent and child factors influence parental behavior? (2) How does personality develop from early childhood into emerging adulthood? (3) How can the dynamic interplay between parenting and personality predict (mal)adaptation?

He founded the Flemish Study on Parenting, Personality and Development in 1999.

prof. dr. Hanan el Marroun

Drug use and brain development

Hanan el Marroun studies substance use during pregnancy and in adolescence, its consequences for behaviour, cognition and brain development as measured using MRI.

dr. Anita Harrewijn

Developmental psychopathology, specifically anxiety in children

Anita Harrewijn examines cognitive and neurobiological processes involved in the development of anxiety symptoms in children. She has a special interest in adolescence, a pivotal developmental period for social and neural changes as well as the development of anxiety.

dr. Ivonne Derks

Developmental Psychopathology, specifically eating problems in children

Ivonne Derks studies the development of eating behaviors and eating disorders from childhood to early adulthood, and to what extent emotional problems, parenting and environmental factors influence these behaviours. She uses various methods such as population-based designs and ecological momentary assessments.

dr. Susan van Rijen

Developmental Psychopathology, specifically in the role of parenting

Susan van Rijen studies development in early childhood, and the role of parenting and parental qualities in clinical disorders. She is currently involved in research on family functioning during the Covid pandemic in families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. She works on  innovating the psychology curriculum, e.g. implementing reflective practice and self-assessment in clinical psychology education.

dr. Clair Enthoven

Pediatric public health, specifically in vulnerable groups

Clair Enthoven unravels risk factors and consequences of unintended pregnancy, contraceptive use and vulnerable parenthood. She uses a mixed methods design including quantitative analyses in a population-based cohort and qualitative analyses based on interviews with the target group and professionals.

dr. Danielle Remmerswaal

Developmental psychopathology, specifically in adolescents’ and young adults’ mental health

Danielle Remmerswaal is the Academic Lead of the EUR wide Student Wellbeing Programme which is aimed at improving wellbeing and personal development of students. Her research interests relate to student wellbeing, e-mental health, social media use and ecological momentary assessment.

dr. Linda Dekker

Developmental Psychopathology, specifically in autism spectrum disorder and sexuality

Linda Dekker investigates two main research themes:  sexuality and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She focuses on correlates of both perpetrator and victimhood, and on sexual development and communication in adolescents, including psychosexual functioning (using the Teen Transition Inventory) and gender issues among youth with ASD. She is the founder of the Rotterdam Autism Consortium (R.A.C.), a collaboration between the EUR and clinical partners in the region of Rotterdam.

dr. Birgit Mayer

(developmental) psychopathology

Birgit Mayer’s research interests relate to information processing in anxiety, maladaptive perfectionism and to mindfulness and it’s working mechanisms. She also has a passion for (mindfully) guiding students in their personal-professional development.

dr. Femke Truijens

Meaningful Measurement in mental health care

Femke Truijens conducts research at the intersection of clinical psychology, methodology and philosophy of science. Using qualitative and mixed methods, she studies how people “translate” their experiences, stories and feelings into numbers when they score the questionnaires used for mental health measurement. She is founder of the Qualitative Research Collective GGZ (KOC-GGZ).

dr. Ruth van der Hallen

Risk and resilience in light of mental health

Ruth Van der Hallen has a multidisciplinary background which she uses to investigate the interplay between coping, personality and the aftermath of trauma, say "How does one cope with difficult circumstances?" Her research includes children, adolescents and adults, as well as clinical and non-clinical samples, using a diverse range of research methods (longitudinal, cross-sectional, citizen science, interventional, network analysis).

Novika Purnama Sari, MEd

Developmental Psychopathology, specifically autism spectrum disorder

Novika Purnama Sari examines autistic traits among children, with a focus on unravelling predictors across the spectrum of autistic traits using population-based cohort study.

Donna de Maat, MSc.

Risk and resilience in childhood

Donna de Maat aims to unravel why some children develop problems after exposure to stressful circumstances (e.g., negative life events), while other children keep functioning well. She has a particular interest in what child (e.g., personality) and environmental characteristics (e.g., parenting) facilitate resilience.