Intimate relationships, both romantic relationships and friendships, are of special importance fo... more Intimate relationships, both romantic relationships and friendships, are of special importance for identity development in emerging adulthood. In the current study, we investigated longitudinal associations between Big Five personality traits and relationship quality (romantic relationships and friendships) and whether these associations are mediated by identity. A sample of emerging adults ( N = 372, 55% women) completed self-report questionnaires on personality and identity in 2015 ( Mage = 21.90 years, SD = 1.16) and on quality of friendships and romantic relationships 3 years later. By using MPlus, we tested the multivariate mediating effect of identity dimensions in the relationship among Big Five personality and quality of relationships. No mediation of identity dimensions was found. Extraversion predicted higher friendship quality 3 years later and exploration in depth was positively associated with friendship quality. Regarding romantic relationship quality, no significant direct or indirect effects were found. However, personality predicted multiple identity dimensions.
Adolescents in secure residential care mostly suffer from serious behavioural problems, often acc... more Adolescents in secure residential care mostly suffer from serious behavioural problems, often accompanied by trauma and adverse family circumstances. This paper presents findings of a comparison of behavioural problems and risk factors of 255 boys and girls (aged 12 to 18 years) in secure residential care in the Netherlands and their association with behavioural problems. A cross‐sectional design and standardized questionnaires were used to measure behavioural problems and individual and familial risk factors. By using independent‐sample t tests, the severity of these factors in boys and girls was compared, and by using structural equation modelling (SEM), associations between these factors and behavioural problems were investigated. The findings of the study show that post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, maladaptive emotion regulation, impaired perceived competence and internalizing behavioural problems were more severe in girls than in boys. Boys experienced more severe...
Background Many empirical studies suggest that higher maternal age increases the likelihood of ha... more Background Many empirical studies suggest that higher maternal age increases the likelihood of having an autistic child. However, little is known about factors that may explain this relationship or if higher maternal age is related to the number of autistic-like traits in offspring. One possibility is that mothers who have a higher number of autistic-like traits, including greater challenges performing mentalizing skills, are delayed in finding a partner. The goal of our study is to assess the relationship between maternal age, mentalizing skills and autistic-like traits as independent predictors of the number of autistic-like traits in offspring. Methods In a population-based study in the Netherlands, information on maternal age was collected during pre- and perinatal enrolment. Maternal mentalizing skills and autistic-like traits were assessed using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and the Autism Spectrum Quotient, respectively. Autistic-like traits in children were assessed ...
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 2021
Ample quantitative studies have shown that parents raising children with neurodevelopmental disab... more Ample quantitative studies have shown that parents raising children with neurodevelopmental disabilities are prone to experience more stress and challenges in their parenthood. Notwithstanding the strength of this line of research, qualitative studies are crucial to grasp the complex reality of these parenting experiences. This qualitative study adopted the Self-Determination Theory to analyze parents’ described experiences, appraising both challenges and opportunities in parents’ psychological need for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. A multi-group comparative design is adopted to examine similarities and differences in the perspectives of 160 parents raising an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, or without a disability ( M age child = 13.09 years, 67.5% boys). Parents’ perspectives were examined through speech samples probing parents to talk spontaneously about their child, their relationship with the child, and their parental experiences. Forty samples in each group were randomly chosen from a larger dataset and were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis. Parents of children with a disability described more need-frustrating but also more autonomy-satisfying experiences compared to parents of children without a disability. Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder reported the most challenges concerning their relatedness with their child and their own parental competence. Parents raising a child with cerebral palsy expressed the most worries about their child’s future and continuity of care. Parents of a child with Down syndrome described the most need-satisfying experiences in their family life. This study offers a more balanced view on the realm of parenting a child with a neurodevelopmental disability.
De meeste kinderen kunnen al op jonge leeftijd antisociaal gedrag laten zien. Maar is dit gedrag ... more De meeste kinderen kunnen al op jonge leeftijd antisociaal gedrag laten zien. Maar is dit gedrag aangeboren dan wel aangeleerd? En wat maakt dat de frequentie van dit gedrag bij de meeste maar niet bij alle kinderen afneemt? We geven een overzicht van risicofactoren die kunnen leiden tot antisociaal gedrag. Vanuit een transactioneel perspectief focussen we op de wisselwerking tussen kind en omgeving. We beschrijven de toonaangevende coerciviteitstheorie van Patterson en bespreken de bruikbaarheid van het Big Five-model om persoonlijkheidskenmerken van het kind te bestuderen. Empirisch onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat interacties tussen persoonlijkheid van het kind en disfunctioneel opvoeden de ontwikkeling van antisociaal gedrag beinvloeden. Dit betekent dat opvoeding niet voor alle kinderen hetzelfde effect heeft. We besteden uitgebreid aandacht aan mechanismen die deze interacties kunnen verklaren.
Hoeveel kinderen in ons land het slachtoffer worden van mishandeling is niet bekend. Daarom is er... more Hoeveel kinderen in ons land het slachtoffer worden van mishandeling is niet bekend. Daarom is er is behoefte aan cijfermateriaal over de aard en omvang van de problematiek. Het doel van de NPM-2005 is inzicht te verschaffen in de prevalentie van verschillende typen van kindermishandeling in Nederland, mede met het oog op het omlijnen van risicogroepen ten behoeve van het gericht opzetten van preventie- en interventieprogramma's. Ook wordt hier de basis gelegd voor de ontwikkeling van een periodieke monitor waarmee de invloed van beleid en hulpverlening kan worden getraceerd.
Intimate relationships, both romantic relationships and friendships, are of special importance fo... more Intimate relationships, both romantic relationships and friendships, are of special importance for identity development in emerging adulthood. In the current study, we investigated longitudinal associations between Big Five personality traits and relationship quality (romantic relationships and friendships) and whether these associations are mediated by identity. A sample of emerging adults ( N = 372, 55% women) completed self-report questionnaires on personality and identity in 2015 ( Mage = 21.90 years, SD = 1.16) and on quality of friendships and romantic relationships 3 years later. By using MPlus, we tested the multivariate mediating effect of identity dimensions in the relationship among Big Five personality and quality of relationships. No mediation of identity dimensions was found. Extraversion predicted higher friendship quality 3 years later and exploration in depth was positively associated with friendship quality. Regarding romantic relationship quality, no significant direct or indirect effects were found. However, personality predicted multiple identity dimensions.
Adolescents in secure residential care mostly suffer from serious behavioural problems, often acc... more Adolescents in secure residential care mostly suffer from serious behavioural problems, often accompanied by trauma and adverse family circumstances. This paper presents findings of a comparison of behavioural problems and risk factors of 255 boys and girls (aged 12 to 18 years) in secure residential care in the Netherlands and their association with behavioural problems. A cross‐sectional design and standardized questionnaires were used to measure behavioural problems and individual and familial risk factors. By using independent‐sample t tests, the severity of these factors in boys and girls was compared, and by using structural equation modelling (SEM), associations between these factors and behavioural problems were investigated. The findings of the study show that post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, maladaptive emotion regulation, impaired perceived competence and internalizing behavioural problems were more severe in girls than in boys. Boys experienced more severe...
Background Many empirical studies suggest that higher maternal age increases the likelihood of ha... more Background Many empirical studies suggest that higher maternal age increases the likelihood of having an autistic child. However, little is known about factors that may explain this relationship or if higher maternal age is related to the number of autistic-like traits in offspring. One possibility is that mothers who have a higher number of autistic-like traits, including greater challenges performing mentalizing skills, are delayed in finding a partner. The goal of our study is to assess the relationship between maternal age, mentalizing skills and autistic-like traits as independent predictors of the number of autistic-like traits in offspring. Methods In a population-based study in the Netherlands, information on maternal age was collected during pre- and perinatal enrolment. Maternal mentalizing skills and autistic-like traits were assessed using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and the Autism Spectrum Quotient, respectively. Autistic-like traits in children were assessed ...
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 2021
Ample quantitative studies have shown that parents raising children with neurodevelopmental disab... more Ample quantitative studies have shown that parents raising children with neurodevelopmental disabilities are prone to experience more stress and challenges in their parenthood. Notwithstanding the strength of this line of research, qualitative studies are crucial to grasp the complex reality of these parenting experiences. This qualitative study adopted the Self-Determination Theory to analyze parents’ described experiences, appraising both challenges and opportunities in parents’ psychological need for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. A multi-group comparative design is adopted to examine similarities and differences in the perspectives of 160 parents raising an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, or without a disability ( M age child = 13.09 years, 67.5% boys). Parents’ perspectives were examined through speech samples probing parents to talk spontaneously about their child, their relationship with the child, and their parental experiences. Forty samples in each group were randomly chosen from a larger dataset and were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis. Parents of children with a disability described more need-frustrating but also more autonomy-satisfying experiences compared to parents of children without a disability. Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder reported the most challenges concerning their relatedness with their child and their own parental competence. Parents raising a child with cerebral palsy expressed the most worries about their child’s future and continuity of care. Parents of a child with Down syndrome described the most need-satisfying experiences in their family life. This study offers a more balanced view on the realm of parenting a child with a neurodevelopmental disability.
De meeste kinderen kunnen al op jonge leeftijd antisociaal gedrag laten zien. Maar is dit gedrag ... more De meeste kinderen kunnen al op jonge leeftijd antisociaal gedrag laten zien. Maar is dit gedrag aangeboren dan wel aangeleerd? En wat maakt dat de frequentie van dit gedrag bij de meeste maar niet bij alle kinderen afneemt? We geven een overzicht van risicofactoren die kunnen leiden tot antisociaal gedrag. Vanuit een transactioneel perspectief focussen we op de wisselwerking tussen kind en omgeving. We beschrijven de toonaangevende coerciviteitstheorie van Patterson en bespreken de bruikbaarheid van het Big Five-model om persoonlijkheidskenmerken van het kind te bestuderen. Empirisch onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat interacties tussen persoonlijkheid van het kind en disfunctioneel opvoeden de ontwikkeling van antisociaal gedrag beinvloeden. Dit betekent dat opvoeding niet voor alle kinderen hetzelfde effect heeft. We besteden uitgebreid aandacht aan mechanismen die deze interacties kunnen verklaren.
Hoeveel kinderen in ons land het slachtoffer worden van mishandeling is niet bekend. Daarom is er... more Hoeveel kinderen in ons land het slachtoffer worden van mishandeling is niet bekend. Daarom is er is behoefte aan cijfermateriaal over de aard en omvang van de problematiek. Het doel van de NPM-2005 is inzicht te verschaffen in de prevalentie van verschillende typen van kindermishandeling in Nederland, mede met het oog op het omlijnen van risicogroepen ten behoeve van het gericht opzetten van preventie- en interventieprogramma's. Ook wordt hier de basis gelegd voor de ontwikkeling van een periodieke monitor waarmee de invloed van beleid en hulpverlening kan worden getraceerd.
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