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The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded  from the  to five FSBS researchers. The proposals of Jaap Denissen, Maja Dekovic / Inge van der Valk, Mirjam Moerbeek and John de Wit have been granted.

The Open Competition SSH funding gives researchers the opportunity to carry out research into the subject of their own choice, without any thematic conditions.

Four research projects

Understanding the effects of negative life events

Negative life events, like becoming unemployed, can reduce well-being (e.g., increasing depression, loneliness). But when do such effects occur, and does this differ between people with different personalities or cultures? The Life-Event Longitudinal Description and Explanation Research (ELDER) project develops better methods to describe how effects of life events unfold. And it will measure key psychological processes and individual differences and investigate how the effects of negative life events differ between cultures. With this knowledge, people can gain insight in how to better cope with negative life events in their own lives or that of their clients.

Researcher

Prof. dr. J.J.A. Denissen (Developmental Psychology)

Research project title

ELDER: Life-Event Longitudinal Description and Explanation Research

Designing methods for sample size calculations

There are several methods for testing hypotheses in social, behavioral and biomedical research. The Bayesian method allows expectations and prior knowledge to be used to formulate and weigh multiple hypotheses against each other based on empirical data. This method is increasingly used but little is known about required sample sizes. This project designs methods for sample size calculations and related software when the data have a multilevel structure, such as students in schools. The results of this project will enable empirical research to be designed in a cost-effective manner.

Researcher

Dr. ir. M. Moerbeek (Methodology and Statistics)

Research project title

Not too many, not too few: calculating sample sizes for testing informative hypotheses.

Listen to children when their parents are getting divorced

Following parental separation or divorce, children’s voices and their legal right to participate are currently insufficiently guaranteed in families, during mediation, and in courts. There is a lack of scientific knowledge on how best to give effect to child participation. This study investigates whether children's participation in divorce-related decisions increases their sense of autonomy, relatedness, and competence, and thus improves their general functioning. In addition, possible risks of child participation to their adjustment are examined, as well as individual differences in this regard. The research will result in practical guidelines and tools to improve the participation of children around divorce.

Researchers

• Dr. I.E. van der Valk (Youth and Family)
• Prof. dr. M. Dekovic (Clinical Child and Family Studies)

Research project title

Hear Hear! Promoting the participation of children in the context of their parents’ divorce

Towards a more sustainable diet for young people

Youth play a crucial role in the societal transition to more sustainable diets. In the FLY-project, we study what youth - in particular those belonging to lower socio-economic groups - think about eating sustainably, and their perceived barriers and facilitators for transitioning towards a more sustainable diet. In high schools, we discuss these issues with young people and investigate (changes in) their diets over time as well as potential underlying mechanisms. Together with youth, we co-create and test intervention strategies that can support youth in the transition to more sustainable diets, with a focus on the role of group processes.

Researchers

• Prof. dr. J.B.F. de Wit (Interdisciplinary Social Science)
• Prof. dr. E. Müller (Faculty of Humanities)

Research project title

The FLY (Food-related Lifestyles in Youth) - project: How young people come to adopt more sustainable diets