Understanding
This axis aims to better understand the experiences of adversity, their consequences on the development of children and adolescents, as well as the mechanisms explaining this association. As these experiences are associated with multiple, severe and complex consequences on development, a range of developmental spheres are considered, drawing on the notion of complex trauma.
Research activities will be carried out in particular with young people followed by the Youth Protection Directorate – whether their safety or development is compromised, or whether they have been accused of a criminal offense.
Current projects
Des Communautés pour le Développement des Enfants et leur Santé (CoDES) - quartiers centraux de Québec
The general objective of the "CoDES – quartiers centraux de Québec" project is to identify and better understand the environmental factors, at the level of local communities, likely to influence the health and development of young children (0-5 years old) in four central neighborhoods of Quebec City: Lower Town, Duberger-Les Saules, Limoilou and Vanier.
This project adopts a mixed method. The quantitative component is based on the secondary use of existing data to draw a portrait of the four neighborhoods and compare them with respect to the factors likely to influence the health and development of young children.
The qualitative component explores and compares the perspectives of stakeholders and local leaders on the factors that, according to their perspective, are likely to influence the health and development of young children.
- Granting organizations: Instance régionale de concertation - Capitale-Nationale (IRC-CN), Gouvernement du Québec et Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles (CRUJeF) (2022-2023)
- Co-researcher: George Tarabulsy (Université Laval)
- Collaborator: Anne-Marie Rouillier (Université Laval)
The videos below give you access to conferences and presentations related to the CoDES project.
- Quand le développement des enfants correspond (ou pas) à ce qui est attendu: une étude à l’échelle des communautés de la Capitale-Nationale
- Les défis méthodologiques associés à l’étude des environnements favorables aux jeunes familles dans quatre quartiers centraux de la Ville de Québec
- Grandir en ville : Perspectives de leaders locaux sur les facteurs environnementaux associés au développement des enfants dans quatre quartiers centraux de la Ville de Québec
Executive difficulties associated with early adversity: understanding them better to improve our intervention strategies with young people
This research project aims to assess the executive difficulties of adolescents (12-17 years old) who have experienced adversity in childhood, as well as to improve interventions with these young people and support their resilience. Indeed, executive functions – essential for psychological, social and cognitive development – are vulnerable to toxic stress that can arise from childhood experiences of adversity.
Using direct and indirect measures, the research will make it possible to better understand the executive difficulties of young people and the contexts in which these difficulties arise, as well as to contribute to the implementation of intervention strategies more suited to the needs of young people.
The project targets a sample made up of a group of 80 adolescents recruited from the services of the Youth Protection Directorate and from community social pediatrics centres, as well as a control group of 80 teenagers recruited from secondary schools.
- Granting organization: Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture (FRQSC), Relève professorale (2022-2025)
Completed projects
Cognitive Outcomes of Children with Complex Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Longitudinal Studies
The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the cognitive outcomes of children with complex trauma, as well as to assess whether the timing of the trauma (its onset as well as its recency) has an impact on the magnitude of trauma on cognitive functioning.
The studies included, all with a longitudinal design, include: children with complex trauma as well as a control group; and a neuropsychological cognitive assessment.
The results show that children with complex trauma have, on average, poorer cognitive outcomes than those in the control group. Also, the timing of trauma (early onset and, to a greater extent, recency of trauma) moderates this association. Thus, the findings suggest that children with complex trauma are at risk of cognitive difficulties quickly after trauma exposure, but that these may be transient. Thus, systematic neuropsychological assessment and interventions supporting the optimal development of cognitive functioning among children with complex trauma should be investigated to determine whether prompt interventions lead to better cognitive functioning.