Highlighting research
An overview of research projects led by our members.
Growing Up together
in Society
The Growing Up together in Society (GUTS) Consortium aims to gain a further understanding of how young people grow up in an increasingly complex society.
One of the studies investigates the association between state social anxiety and state prosocial behavior in adolescents using an ESM approach. Specifically, it examines whether social anxiety and prosocial behavior are bidirectionally related, both in the moment and over time.
Furthermore, participants of the GUTS consortium not only take part in the ESM study, but also attend EEG and MRI lab sessions. Our future goal is to integrate EEG-based neurophysiological measures with behavioral ESM data to bridge methodological gaps and gain a broader understanding of adolescent development.
Researchers: Prof. dr. Loes Keijsers, Prof .dr. Matthias Wieser, dr. Anita Harrewijn, dr. Miriam Hollarek, dr. Lysanne te Brinke, and PhD Candidate Coen Koevoet.
More info: Guts
Funded by: Gravitation grant from the ministry of Education, Culture and Science
Effectiveness of small-scale residential youth care
The Dutch government is working on the development of small-scale residential youth care facilities and phasing out closed youth care facilities. This project focuses specifically on understanding the effectiveness of small-scale residential youth care.
Using a Mixed Method Single Case Experimental Design (SCED), we combine quantitative and qualitative research methods to follow adolescents over time. With the aim to better understand to what extent living in these settings supports development, who benefits most, and why – and to contribute to providing the most appropriate care.
This study aims to understand day to day well-being among youth living in small scale residential facilities by following them longitudinally with a daily diary questionnaire. The questions focus on their well-being, their basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration, their relationship with their parents, and their interactions with care professionals.
Researchers: Prof. dr. Annemiek Harder, PhD candidate Davita Dijkstra.
More info: Consortium kleinschaligheid
Funded by: Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
Unraveling the impact of social rejection in the brain
Our current generation of youth is unique in their social development: Growing up in the digital age, youth are hyperconnected with their peers and social rejection nowadays takes place both offline and online. While some socially rejected children suffer from widespread and persistent impairments in mental health, other children seem more resilient in dealing with social rejection. At SO-REBEL, we want to understand these individual differences and unravel the impact of social rejection in the brain and everyday life.
Within this project the social development of children for 10 ongoing years (7 to 17 years old) will be researched. Using brain imaging techniques in combination with daily questions through smartphones, she aims to discover which children are most affected by social rejection, to ultimately determine how we can best facilitate social development of these children.
Researchers: dr. Michelle Achterberg, Dr. Yara Toenders.
More info: SO-REBEL Research
Funded by: NWO VENI Grant
Detangling the highs and lows of cannabis for brain health
Today’s world is experiencing shifts towards lenient cannabis policies, fueled by cannabis’ potential benefits for mental health. In contrast, recreational users experience dose-related cognitive and mental health problems, and the negative impact of cannabis addiction is substantial, with only a small proportion achieving remission. The polarized debate on cannabis as either harmful or beneficial not only oversimplifies reality but also slows scientific progress. We call for a paradigm shift that embraces cannabis’ mixed effects on brain health.
Our cross-cultural project Blowing Minds investigates how cannabis use relates to mental wellbeing and (neuro)cognition. Central is a two-year longitudinal smartphone study among medicinal and recreational users in jurisdictions with contrasting cannabis policies. This will identify key determinants of cannabis’ short- and long-term effects, shaped by user characteristics such as method of use, product type, and cultural context. In parallel, we compare perceptions of cannabis’ risks and benefits across users, the general public, scientists, and health professionals to bridge gaps between lived experience and scientific evidence.
Researchers: dr. Janna Cousijn, dr. Emese Kroon, PhD Candidate Nora de Bode, PhD Candidate Yvette (Jia Hua) Hsieh.
More info: NofA lab – Neuroscience of Addiction Lab
Funded by: NWO VIDI Grant
Towards a better understanding of the influence of parenting
Social inequality between children is on the rise. While we know that differences in parenting practices contribute to this inequality, much remains unclear about the underlying mechanisms. The 3HOEK research project examines how fathers and mothers respond to unexpected events, with the aim of uncovering new pathways that explain differences in how parents use, manage, and are constrained by time.
As part of this project, a 100-day diary study was conducted with 256 parents in the Netherlands. These ESM data will be linked to longitudinal information on children’s development collected through questionnaires and enriched with in-depth interviews with both fathers and mothers.
Researchers: Prof. dr. Renske Keizer, dr. Maaike Hornstra.
More info: 3HOEK Onderzoek
Funded by: NWO VICI Grant
Mental health problems in young people
PROTECt ME is a Convergence project (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus MC, TU Delft) that examines the development of mental health problems in young people aged 16–25. The main goal is to identify factors that increase vulnerability as well as factors that promote resilience.
The field study follows 300 participants for one year. A key element is the use of ESM: participants receive several prompts per day on their smartphone to report on mood, stress, activities, and social interactions in daily life. This approach provides detailed, real-time information about short-term processes that may be relevant for understanding longer-term mental health outcomes.
In addition to ESM, survey and registry data are collected, allowing for a comprehensive perspective on mental health trajectories. The combination of these data sources provides opportunities to investigate how individual, social, and contextual factors interact over time.
Research team: Prof. dr. Manon Hillegers, dr. Annabel Vreeker, dr. Hanneke Scholten, Milou de Zeeuw, PhD candidate.
More info: protectmestudie.nl