- Belgium
Veerle Soyez
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Clinical and Life Span Psychology, Faculty Member
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Background: Research indicates that among the risks associated with young people’s alcohol and illicit drug use are sexual risks. However, insights into co-occurrence of substance use and sexual risks in adolescent samples and possible... more
Background: Research indicates that among the risks associated with young people’s alcohol and illicit drug use are sexual risks. However, insights into co-occurrence of substance use and sexual risks in adolescent samples and possible differences across countries are limited. Methods: A sample of 1449 adolescents from Belgium, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Germany screened positive for risky alcohol/illicit drug use in a web-based intervention against alcohol and illicit drug use. They also reported incidents of sex while being drunk and/or high on drugs, condomless sex on these occasions, and sexualized touching and sexual victimization while being drunk or high on drugs. Results: In the sample, 21.5% of the participants reported sexualized touching, 9.9% being victim to sexual assault, and 49.8% having had sex while being drunk and/or high on drugs; of the latter, 48.3% had condomless sex. Reports on having had sex while being drunk and/or high on drugs were associated with hig...
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Research Interests: Psychology and Acco
This article draws attention to the relevance of young care leavers' exercise of agency as one possible key ingredient in overcoming barriers to engagement in work. Several previous studies show difficulties in entering adult life,... more
This article draws attention to the relevance of young care leavers' exercise of agency as one possible key ingredient in overcoming barriers to engagement in work. Several previous studies show difficulties in entering adult life, both in relation to higher and further education as well as entrance into work life. The article analyses interviews with young adults from six countries, who have spent at least part of their childhood and youth in out‐of‐home care and the results indicate that the care leavers have the ability to make plans and set up goals for the future that they in many cases are able to achieve or at least are striving for over time. In many instances, they show a strong motivation, for example, to educate themselves pursuing their goals. To support this transition of young care leavers, it is important to listen to ‘successful’ cases such as the ones presented.
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There is empirical evidence that treatment motivation and readiness are closely linked to retention. Several instruments have been developed to measure these concepts; such instruments can reliably assess the stages of motivation and... more
There is empirical evidence that treatment motivation and readiness are closely linked to retention. Several instruments have been developed to measure these concepts; such instruments can reliably assess the stages of motivation and readiness, and predict treatment retention and outcome. However, limited efforts have been undertaken in Europe to translate those instruments and to determine their reliability and validity. In this study, the psychometric properties of a Dutch translation of the Circumstances, Motivation, Readiness, and Suitability (CMRS) scales by De Leon and Jainchill and the shortened CMR Intake Version are illustrated in a Flemish sample of therapeutic community residents (n = 207). Exploratory factor analyses confirm three CMR subscales, although confirmatory factor analysis reveals only a moderate fit for both the CMRS and the CMR. In contrast, the predictive power of the instrument is strong, specifically for 1-year retention. Significant correlations were found between CMRS measures and age, drug severity, legal referral, and social problems. It is concluded that the Dutch translation of the CMRS and the CMR can be employed as a valid indicator of treatment motivation and readiness, although additional research concerning factorial structures is needed.
Research Interests: Health Behavior, Assessment, Forecasting, Evaluation, Adolescent, and 15 moreGroup Psychotherapy, Belgium, Humans, Alcoholism, Female, Confirmatory factor analysis, Cocaine, Drug Addiction, American, Crack Cocaine, Adult, Empirical evidence, Adolescent Behavior, Cohort Studies, and attitude to health
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Ga onmiddellijk naar paginanavigatie. Measuring resources in a Therapeutic Community-based treatment system: A reliability and validity study of the Dutch version of PREDI Short Diagnosis. Please use this identifier to cite or link to... more
Ga onmiddellijk naar paginanavigatie. Measuring resources in a Therapeutic Community-based treatment system: A reliability and validity study of the Dutch version of PREDI Short Diagnosis. Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: Record Details. Record ID, 886132. ...
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Thuisbegeleiding is, in historisch opzicht, een recent gegeven. Desondanks hebben de diensten voor thuisbegeleiding in de loop van de laatste 2 decennia geleidelijk een steeds belangrijker positie verworven binnen het geheel van de zorg... more
Thuisbegeleiding is, in historisch opzicht, een recent gegeven. Desondanks hebben de diensten voor thuisbegeleiding in de loop van de laatste 2 decennia geleidelijk een steeds belangrijker positie verworven binnen het geheel van de zorg voor personen met een beperking. De huidige evoluties in het denken over personen met een beperking (en hun context) en de recente ontwikkelingen en tendensen in het hulpverleningsveld (onder andere de evolutie van aanbodsgestuurd naar vraaggestuurd werken) zorgen er voor dat de ambulante sector, waar de thuisbegeleidingsdiensten deel van uitmaken, voortdurend voor heel wat nieuwe uitdagingen geplaatst worden. In wat volgt belichten we de werking van de diensten voor thuisbegeleiding voor gezinnen met een persoon met een beperking. We staan stil bij een aantal algemene uitgangspunten en werkingsprincipes van thuisbegeleiding, schetsen het historisch en wettelijk kader van de diensten voor thuisbegeleiding en belichten enkele discussiepunten.
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University students are at elevated risk for psychological distress, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to warmly contact our students and investigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on... more
University students are at elevated risk for psychological distress, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to warmly contact our students and investigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the subjective wellbeing (SWB) and levels of psychological symptoms (such as depressive and anxious feelings) of university students in Belgium. All bachelor and master students of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (N = 15,475) were invited for a brief structured telephone interview in March, 2021. In total, 7,154 students were assessed by a structured interview, based on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) and the Anamnestic Comparative Self-Assessment (ACSA). Compared to a representative sample, students considered their life during the pandemic as less satisfying compared to their life before the pandemic. Overall, all students have suffered from COVID-19 and the measures taken to contain the pandemic. Twenty percent of our sample of 7,154 ...
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Implementing ASI and other instruments to professionalize treatment across national borders:
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Research Interests: Psychology and CBCL
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Research Interests: Humanities and Verslaving
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Onderzoek naar druggebruik bij adolescenten gebeurt vaak in klassieke schoolcontexten, waardoor een belangrijke groep ‘kwetsbare’ jongeren niet of onvoldoende vertegenwoordigd is. In deze paper bespreken we een narratief onderzoek bij 40... more
Onderzoek naar druggebruik bij adolescenten gebeurt vaak in klassieke schoolcontexten, waardoor een belangrijke groep ‘kwetsbare’ jongeren niet of onvoldoende vertegenwoordigd is. In deze paper bespreken we een narratief onderzoek bij 40 jongeren die begeleid worden in de residentiële bijzondere jeugdbijstand. Drugs en druggebruik nemen een niet onbelangrijke plaats in in het leven van deze jongeren: alle jongeren hebben ervaringen met middelen, hetzij door deze zelf te gebruiken (N=18), hetzij door gebruik in hun eigen familiale context (N=25), hetzij via vrienden (N=26). Ze hebben dan ook een uitgesproken mening over wat kan en niet kan, en wat zij als ‘helpend’ en ‘niet helpend’ beschouwen. Als rode draad doorheen de interviews komt de dialoog en het bespreekbaar maken van drugs en druggebruik in de voorzieningen sterk naar voor. Verschillende jongeren benadrukken het al te sterke accent op controle rond het gebruik van middelen, en pleiten daarentegen voor een evenwicht tussen d...
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common among adult patients with a substance use disorder, yet often goes undetected. This is a qualitative study to explore implementation barriers to a guideline developed in Belgium... more
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common among adult patients with a substance use disorder, yet often goes undetected. This is a qualitative study to explore implementation barriers to a guideline developed in Belgium for the recognition and treatment of ADHD in adult patients with substance use disorder and to gain a better understanding of the strategies to overcome these barriers. Focus groups were conducted with caregivers and patients to explore experiences with comorbid substance use disorder and ADHD. The barriers reported in these focus groups became the subject of further study in focus groups with addiction professionals (physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists) who had tried the guideline and with psychiatrists specializing in addiction but without experience with ADHD. Our analysis revealed a number of barriers to the implementation of this guideline, including lack of information from the family, pressure from patients and caregivers to make an AD...