François Poulin

• PhD
• University of Quebec in Montreal

Cette étude examine les liens entre la durée de participation à quatre catégories de sports entre 13 et 17 ans—sports d’équipe de collision, sports d’équipe avec peu ou sans contact, sports individuels et sports esthétiques—et l’adaptation scolaire et psychosociale à 17 ans. Un échantillon de 228 adolescents (67% de garçons) présentant un niveau él...

Because educational attainment is associated with well-being in the long term, it is important to understand the developmental processes that enhance academic outcomes during adolescence. Also, although the importance of friends is well documented in adolescence, little is known about how close friends’ characteristics work together with youth’s ow...

This study examined (a) the relation between children’s participation in organized leisure activities (OLA)during kindergarten and social competence in Grade 1 and (b) whether this relation would vary according tofamilies’ income level. Participants were 556 preschool children (59% boys; M age = 5.65 years). Measures wereobtained from parents and t...

Les dimensions de la relation entre l’adolescent et l’adulte responsable de son activité organisée ont fait l’objet de peu de recherches. La présente étude vise à vérifier si cette relation peut varier selon le type d’activité et si elle est associée aux symptômes dépressifs et à l’estime de soi des adolescents. Au total, 130 adolescents (63% de se...

Relationships with adults in organized activities play a crucial role in the positive outcomes associated with these experiences, yet little is known about how these relationships evolve throughout adolescence or how they are differentially associated with mental health. Important distinctions could also be made regarding activity types. The sample...

Parental knowledge is often the result of parents soliciting information from their child and their child’s disclosure of that information. Although child disclosure is most closely (and negatively) associated with behavior problems in adolescence, it is not yet known whether this is also the case in childhood. The aim of this study was to examine...

Cadre de la recherche : Les parents peuvent recourir à au moins deux stratégies pour limiter les effets néfastes de l’utilisation des technologies numériques chez leur enfant. La « médiation active » renvoie à la co-utilisation, aux discussions et aux opinions échangées avec l’enfant sur les influences de la technologie. La « médiation restrictive...

Cadre de la recherche : Les parents peuvent recourir à au moins deux stratégies pour limiter les effets néfastes de l’utilisation des technologies numériques chez leur enfant. La « médiation active » renvoie à la co-utilisation, aux discussions et aux opinions échangées avec l’enfant sur les influences de la technologie. La « médiation restrictive...

Une faible surveillance parentale et un niveau élevé de conflit avec les parents à l’adolescence peuvent déclencher une séquence développementale qui favorise l’émergence d’une dépendance aux médias sociaux à l’âge adulte. La présente étude longitudinale sur 15 ans examine le rôle médiateur de l’utilisation des sites de clavardage à l’adolescence e...

Introduction Civic engagement (CE) in adolescence is associated with a higher level of engagement in adulthood and is reported to be beneficial to youth's development and societal well‐being. Parents are among the most influential factors in adolescents' lives. This study examined the associations between parents' own civic participation, their neg...

According to the social clock and statistical norms, a transition into sexual activity after age 18 years is considered late. This longitudinal study examines whether late sexual transition is related to delays in the achievement of developmental tasks and lower psychological well-being in emerging adulthood for heterosexual individuals. A sample o...

Today’s adolescents will inevitably face the negative effects of climate change and will need to engage in pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) as part of the solutions. The primary objective of this scoping review was to identify the individual, peer and family, and school and community predictors of PEB in adolescence. The secondary objectives were...

The aim of this study was to verify whether the links between features of best-friendship quality (intimacy, reliable alliance, conflict) and well-being indicators (self-esteem, loneliness) change from early emerging adulthood to early established adulthood. The moderating effect of gender and investment in romantic life on these links was examined...

Cumulative transitions in diverse life domains during emerging adulthood appear to promote both problems and fulfillment. This study aimed to shed light on the coexistence of these contradictory observations by examining the associations between cumulative transitions in four life domains (education, work, romantic, and residential) and adjustment...

Organized activities can provide a conducive context for various social processes that may prevent internalizing problems. Some types of organized activities, such as team sports, seem particularly favorable to these positive experiences. The aim of this 4-year longitudinal study is to describe the changes in the feeling of social integration into...

Parmi les stratégies d’intervention visant à promouvoir la santé mentale des enfants et des adolescents, les sports organisés sont parfois au coeur des programmes psychoéducatifs (Rioux et al., 2017). Toutefois, les sports organisés n’ont pas tous les mêmes effets sur la santé mentale des jeunes. Certains processus sociaux pourraient expliquer ces...

Non-mainstream rock music preferences, like goth, are linked to psychological difficulties in adolescence and emerging adulthood. This study explored the persistence of these difficulties into adulthood, while considering gender moderation. From ages 15 to 22, 364 participants (59% female) annually indicated their preference for goth music. Their m...

Plusieurs études ont démontré que la participation à des activités parascolaires (sports, arts, civiques) contribue au fonctionnement psychologique des adolescents. Cependant, les motivations derrière leur participation ont souvent été négligées. La présente étude a examiné l’association entre la participation à des activités parascolaires, d’une p...

La participation à des activités parascolaires à l’école secondaire est une voie prometteuse pour promouvoir l’adaptation scolaire et psychosociale des adolescents. Cependant, peu d’études ont cherché à comprendre les processus expliquant ce lien, notamment comment les expériences sociales vécues dans le contexte de ces activités peuvent se général...

Cette étude a examiné l’association entre la durée de participation à quatre catégories de sports—sports d’équipe, sports individuels, arts martiaux, sports esthétiques—et l’adaptation psychosociale, et a tenté de déterminer si le revenu familial modérait cette association. Un échantillon de 468 enfants (36,1 % de filles) a été évalué chaque année...

This 15-year longitudinal study investigated with follow-up data how romantic patterns from ages 16 to 24 are associated with romantic involvement and turnover (ages 25-30), romantic dispositions (age 30) and romantic relationships characteristics (age 30). A sample of 255 individuals (60.8% women) identified all their romantic partners between the...

Romantic relationship qualities are likely to change from adolescence to adulthood. Therefore, we undertook a longitudinal study to examine changes in satisfaction, intimacy, and conflict over this period by simultaneously testing the effects of age, relationship length, and their interaction. These qualities were measured at nine-time points from...

Romantic relationship qualities are likely to change from adolescence to adulthood. Therefore, we undertook a longitudinal study to examine changes in satisfaction, intimacy, and conflict over this period by simultaneously testing the effects of age, relationship length, and their interaction. These qualities were measured at nine-time points from...

Preschool is a particularly opportune time to introduce measures that promote parental school-based involvement, as this is when the initial contact with the school is made. In Québec, a French-speaking province in Canada, voluntary school-based preschools for 4-year-olds have been offered to families in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. A component fo...

Parents can actively seek knowledge (solicitation) or receive information provided willingly by the child (disclosure). In adolescence, disclosure is the main source of parental knowledge , but its importance may take root earlier in the course of development. We examined: 1) the factor structure of an instrument adapted for middle childhood measur...

Introduction Organized activities practiced in adolescence are known to foster positive development, including active citizenship. Active citizenship encompasses a wide range of behaviors, one of them being pro‐environmental behaviors. Few studies focused on the developmental factors that may predict these behaviors in adults, despite their crucial...

The purpose of this study was to examine change in four features of best friendship quality (intimacy, companionship, reliable alliance and conflict) from age 19 to 30 by gender and investment in romantic life. To this end, 363 participants (58% women) were asked about the quality of the relationship with their best friend and their level of invest...

The purpose of this 5-year longitudinal study is to iden- tify trajectories of team and individual sports participation in childhood, and to compare these trajectories on dif- ferent types of internalizing problems. Parents reported their children’s annual sports participation from the ages of 6–10 (n = 785) and teachers reported internalizing prob...

Best friendships and romantic relationships are linked to psychological well-being in emerging adulthood, but few studies have assessed their contribution simultaneously. This research (n = 190; 64.4% women) examined the links between intimacy and conflict with the best friend and the romantic partner on psychological well-being (self-esteem, depre...

Unlike organized activities such as sports and arts, civic activities in adolescence (e.g., volunteering, student government) have been less studied in relation to school success and almost all existing evidence consists of cross-sectional findings. In a longitudinal study, 1035 pupils (64% females, 20% non-white, Mage = 14.21 years) from high scho...

L’omniprésence des médias sociaux dans le quotidien des jeunes adultes soulève des préoccupations quant à l’éventualité d’un usage problématique. La dépendance aux médias sociaux est susceptible de modifier les aspects positifs et négatifs de la relation avec les mères et les pères, mais les mécanismes qui sous-tendent ces associations demeurent in...

Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude de portée sur les facteurs liés à l’implication des parents dans l’éducation préscolaire ainsi que les stratégies permettant de la favoriser. L’analyse de 17 études portant sur la période préscolaire, publiées entre 2010 et 2020, a fait ressortir 13 des 14 facteurs du modèle de Hornby et Lafaele (2011)...

This study examined bidirectional links between teachers’ disciplinary practices (punitive and educational), students’ peer status in class (acceptance and rejection), and students’ aggressive behaviors. A sample comprising 1,038 students (mean age = 5.43 years) was assessed with the same instruments in the fall and spring of one kindergarten year....

In this study, two different contexts were examined to identify and describe transition-to-adulthood profiles at age 25 (based on four adulthood markers) and to determine whether these profiles differ in well-being at age 25. Two French-Canadian samples (urban sample, N = 321; remote sample, N = 363) completed questionnaires at age 25 regarding adu...

How do young adults get involved in community and political life and what distinguishes those who are engaged from those who are not? In an attempt to answer these questions, the current study examines civic participation (CP) profiles, and their predictors, among 311 French-Canadian youths transitioning into adulthood. Latent Class Analysis (LCA)...

Objective: This study aimed to examine the link between friendship instability during emerging adulthood and depressive symptoms. The moderating role of gender and the pursuit (or not) of postsecondary education was also tested. Participants: A total of 268 participants (60.7% women) was interviewed annually between the ages of 22 and 26. Methods:...

This study examined the level of congruence and incongruence between fathers’, mothers’, and adolescents’ perceptions of parental monitoring in relation to the adolescents’ antisocial behaviors. A sample of 163 father-mother-adolescent triads (59.5% girls; [Formula: see text] age = 12.35) filled out separate questionnaires assessing the dimensions...

Parenting practices can encourage or impede the emergence of sexuality in romantic relations of adolescents. However, we know very little about the characteristics of romantic relations in which adolescent partners are sexually active. The first objective of this study was to examine the links between parental control, the secrets of adolescents an...

This study examined how adolescents' sexual trajectories are associated with achievement of emerging adulthood developmental tasks (educational attainment, full-time employment, romantic involvement) and psychosocial outcomes (problems with alcohol, depression, self-esteem). Trajectories (identified in a previous report by Rossi, Poulin, & Boislard...

This study aimed at identifying and describing patterns of sports participation during high school among a general population of students and examining individual, social, and environmental predictors of pattern membership. A sample of 287 high school students (61% girls) from Quebec (Canada) annually reported all the organized sports in which they...

Socially withdrawn children are more likely to be heterosexually inactive in early adulthood. This study aimed to test a three-mediator model. We hypothesized that social withdrawal during childhood would hinder a sense of social competence in early adolescence, limiting other-gender friendships in mid-adolescence, in turn limiting involvement in r...

tIntroduction. – The use of social media can have both beneficial and detrimental effects on individuals,and some personal variables have been shown to have a potential impact on this phenomenon. However,very few studies have identified “which individuals” might be positively or negatively affected by socialmedia use.Objectives. – The present study...

Cette étude avait pour objectif de déterminer si certains indicateurs de capital social propres a` l’entrée dans l’adolescence (12 ans) et relevant de trois contextes de socialisation distincts, soit la famille (supervision parentale et qualité de la relation), les pairs (appréciation par le groupe et amitiés positives) et l’école (engagement scola...

Peer victimization during the school years can impair victims' mental and physical health even in adulthood. Moreover, some victims of school bullying may also experience revictimization at work as adults. Later revictimization at work may thus at least partly explain (i.e., mediate) the negative consequences of peer victimization in school. Revict...

Le programme Fluppy (PF) a été conçu pour les enfants qui manifestent un niveau élevé de comportements perturbateurs (CP) tels que l’agression, les crises de colère, l’opposition, l’inattention et l’hyperactivité dès le début de la maternelle 5 ans. L’attention accordée à ces comportements à la maternelle est d’une grande importance puisqu’un début...

Changes in best friendship quality during adolescence coincide with the emergence of romantic relationships. This study aimed to examine the extent to which changes in friendship quality (intimacy, conflict, emotional support) between the ages of 16 and 22 varied according to four romantic involvement patterns (Late, Sporadic, Long-Term, Frequent)...

This study examined the longitudinal associations between participation in individual and team sports and indicators of alcohol use during the high school years and beyond. A total of 310 youths were surveyed over six waves of data collection (ages 12, 14 to 17, and 19). Participation in individual and team sports was measured through phone intervi...

Introduction: Personality and psychological adjustment have been topics of interest in research on Facebook (FB; Blachnio et al., 2013; Caers, et al., 2013). Links between different components of FB usage (Caci et al., 2014; Gosling et al., 2011) and the personality trait of extroversion have been established in many studies, and the traits of agre...

Academic and behavioral (externalizing and internalizing problems) outcomes associated with trajectories of breadth of participation in organized activities were examined in a sample of 548 children. Four previously modeled trajectories from Kindergarten to Grade 4 were compared: no participation, increasing breadth, decreasing breadth, high and st...

This study surveyed 46 school workers in order to investigate factors that can impede youths' engagement in civic activities at school in the Province of Quebec. The results confirmed that structural impediments and the lack of information represent hurdles to the development of civic engagement activities. Other barriers related to employees and w...

Best friends exert a substantial influence on rising alcohol and marijuana use during adolescence. Two mechanisms occurring within friendship - friend pressure and unsupervised co-deviancy - may partially capture the way friends influence one another. The current study aims to: (1) examine the psychometric properties of a new instrument designed to...

Purpose Little is known about the longitudinal association between early first heterosexual intercourse (e.g., intercourse before the age of 15 years) and alcohol use during adolescence and young adulthood. This study sought to determine whether early first heterosexual intercourse is associated with (1) frequency of alcohol use at age 16 years, (2...

Bullying in schools has severe consequences for victims' adjustment. It is unclear, however, whether victims of school bullying continue to be victimized in other contexts during adulthood. Mediating processes through which peer victimization in school increases the risk of revictimization in adulthood, as well as protective factors, also need to b...

Adolescent sexual development is not the same across the board, and can be seen as both normative as well as risky behavior, depending on factors such as age of onset and number of partners. This longitudinal study identified developmental trajectories of annual number of sexual partners from adolescence to emerging adulthood and their antecedents....

To examine whether trajectories of participation in organized activities during the high school years and beyond (from ages 14 to 20) predicted outcomes at age 21 (externalizing problems, internalizing problems, civic engagement, number of years of education, and perception of physical health), 354 youths (60% girls) were surveyed annually over nin...

A person-centered approach applied to the Inventory of Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA) would provide a holistic outlook on this developmental period. This study aimed to (1) determine the presence of distinct profiles based on the IDEA scales and (2) compare these profiles with regard to sociodemographic indicators, internalizing problems,...

Current knowledge of intraindividual longitudinal patterns of civic participation (CP) and their predictors remains limited. As life cycle trends are showing a decline in civic/political involvement during early adulthood years, increased understanding of these aspects could enhance efforts to promote greater and/or sustained CP trajectories among...

This study examines how romantic relationship patterns (i.e., based on the number of different partners and the number of years in a relationship) from adolescence to emerging adulthood (1) are associated with independence at age 25 and (2) are related to the characteristics of one’s romantic relationship and parental status at age 25. A sample of...

The present study identifies and describes romantic relationship patterns from adolescence to adulthood and examines their associations with family and peer experiences in early adolescence. In a 13-year longitudinal study, 281 youth (58 % girls) identified all their romantic partners each year from the ages of 16–24. Dimensions of family relations...

The goal of this study was to identify profiles of individual (identity, initiative, emotion regulation, and teamwork and social skills) and social experiences (social integration in the activity peer group and support from the activity leader) in organized activities and examine activity-related and youth-related characteristics associated with pr...

The social network Facebook (FB) has a primary place in the social life of emerging adults. Studies that examine the link between offline interpersonal relations (IR) and the use of Facebook have been limited to evaluating that link as a function of the overall offline social network and not as a function of the different social players who make up...

Several authors highlight the importance of civic engagement among emerging adults suggesting that youth civic participation (YCP) benefits both civil society and youth social, cognitive and emotional development (Flanagan & Levine, 2010; Lerner, 2004). Accordingly, previous studies have shown that YCP seems to be associated with higher emotional s...

This study aimed to identify the trajectories of breadth of participation in organized activities during childhood and to examine the predictors of membership in these trajectories (child’s individual and family characteristics measured in Kindergarten). A sample of 1038 children, recruited in Kindergarten, was assessed yearly between Kindergarten...

This study aims to document the prevalence of repeated patterns of dating victimization and to examine, within the frameworks of an ecological model and lifestyle/routine activities theories, associations between such patterns and family, peer, and individual factors. Dating victimization in adolescence (age 15) and early adulthood (age 21) was eva...

This longitudinal study investigated social capital as a way through which youths’ organized activities promote their future adjustment. Specifically, we examined social mediators of the associations between intensity, duration, and breadth of participation from age 14 to 17 and adjustment at age 18. Two socialmediators were tested: support fromthe...

Research on sensitive topics like sexuality is subject to diverse biases related to the characteristics of the participants (i.e. age, gender, beliefs about sexuality, etc.), the measurement selected (i.e. diary, questionnaire, interview, biological tests), and the wording, interpretation and specificity of the behaviors assessed. Although typical...

This longitudinal study examined how participation in organized activities during adolescence (ages 14–17) is associated with adjustment in emerging adulthood (age 21). It investigated the contribution of three dimensions of participation: activity portfolios (i.e., specific combinations of activity types), intensity, and duration. The sample inclu...

Stable civic engagement (CE) in youth has the dual effect of providing needed services to the community and society, and promoting psychological, social, and intellectual growth for the young citizen. Since emerging adulthood is often characterized by instability and identity search (Arnett, 2004), we may wonder how CE trends evolve during these ye...

Cette étude vise a` déterminer dans quelle mesure la consommation du partenaire amoureux et la qualité de la relation amoureuse contribuent a` la fréquence et aux problèmes de consommation d’alcool a` la fin de l’adolescence. En plus des liens concomitants entre ces variables, les liens longitudinaux sur un an sont examinés. Au total, 162 adolescen...

The goal of this study was to test the impact of two interventions designed to promote social competence in agressive kindergarteners. A sample of 182 agressive students (69% boys) were randomly assigned to three conditions: a) an intervention promoting social competence in classrooms (PSC); b) PSC intervention combined with a dyadic peer intervent...

This study examined the associations between various dimensions of romantic involvement and alcohol use in middle and late adolescence. Based on Brown's model (1999, The development of romantic relationships in adolescence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 291–329), significant associations were expected to be found in middle adolescence...

The goal of this study was to provide an in-depth examination of friendships within organized activities. The prevalence of friendships with co-participants, their quality and characteristics, and their associations with adjustment were investigated. A sample of 281 (60% girls) 8th grade adolescents reported their friendships, activities, and adjus...

The study measured the added effect of father participation in the parent-training component of a violence and school dropout prevention program on quality of parenting practices (from self-report and direct observation) and level of kindergarten child behavior problem (CBP; from teacher and mother report). Pre- and post-test evaluations were condu...

Empirical evidence suggests that children's disruptive behaviour (CDB) and quality of parenting influence one another bidirectionally. However, few studies have considered the separate contribution of the mother–child and father–child relationships to disruptive behaviours within a longitudinal context. Against this background, the reciprocal influ...

This study examined how parent–child communication regarding adolescent unsupervised activities develops over the course of adolescence. We used questionnaire data from 390 adolescents (58% girls; 90% European Canadian) who were followed from age 12 to 19. Latent growth curve modeling revealed curvilinear developmental changes that differed for boy...

The goal of this study was to provide an in-depth examination of friendships within organized activities. The prevalence of friendships with co-participants, their quality and characteristics, and their associations with adjustment were investigated. A sample of 281 (60% girls) 8th grade adolescents reported their friendships, activities, and adjus...

A multimodal prevention program for kindergarten students with a high levels of disruptive behavior, known as the “Fluppy program,” has been widely implemented in the province of Quebec over the past 20 years. The goals of this chapter are to: 1) provide a brief overview of the program’s underlying conceptual model, 2) outline the history of the pr...

The goal of this study was to test the impact of two interventions designed to promote social competence in aggressive kindergartners. A sample of 182 aggressive students (69% boys) were randomly assigned to three conditions: a) an intervention promoting social competence in classrooms (PSC); b) PSC intervention combined with a dyadic peer interven...

Stability and change in kindergartners’ friendships were examined based on a typology of profiles (stable, fluid, loss, gain, friendless). Our purpose was to determine whether children belonging to the five profiles differed in their social functioning. The sample consisted of 2353 kindergartners. Reciprocal friendships and social functioning indic...

• Young adolescents who encounter difficulties with peers can consult with their parents to help solve these problems. In this context, this study examines the contribution of adolescents’ disclosure, parental advice giving, and parental intrusiveness into adolescents’ social and behavioral adjustment. Young adolescents (N = 93; 49% girls; mean age...

Les relations amoureuses a ` l'a ˆge adulte e ´mergent présentent une certaine continuité avec les relations familiales et amicales vécues antérieurement (Seiffge-Krenke, Overbeek & Vermulst, 2010). La présente e ´tude examine cette continuité en appliquant le modèle triangulaire de l'amour de Sternberg (1986, 1988, 2006), qui inclut les dimensions...

Les relations amoureuses à l'âge adulte émergent présentent une certaine continuité avec les relations familiales et amicales vécues antérieurement (Seiffge-Krenke, Overbeek & Vermulst, 2010). La présente étude examine cette continuité en appliquant le modèle triangulaire de l'amour de Sternberg (1986, 1988, 2006), qui inclut les dimensions d'intim...

Previous research examining relationships between parental monitoring, friendship networks, and substance use did not take into account the gender of both the adolescent and the friends. The goal of this study was to test a mediation model in which having other-sex friends during mid-adolescence mediates the relationships between parental monitorin...

Empirical evidence suggests that children’s disruptive behaviour (CDB) and quality of parenting influence one another bidirectionally. However, few studies have considered the separate contribution of the mother–child and father–child relationships to disruptive behaviours within a longitudinal context. Against this background, the reciprocal influ...

Research has shown continuity between romantic relationships in emerging adulthood and past relationships experienced with parents and friends (Seiffge-Krenke et al., 2010). This study examines this association by applying the triangular model of love developed by Sternberg (1986, 1988, 2006), the three main dimensions being intimacy, passion and i...

The impact of the changes in the gender composition of friendship networks during early adolescence on substance use in late adolescence was examined. The hypothesis was that initial level and increase in the proportion of other-sex friends in the network would be associated with higher levels of substance use among girls, but not among boys. Girls...

The causal factors associated with increases in depressive symptoms among adolescent girls remain an area of theoretical debate, and the limited research considering a hormonal influence has provided mixed results. The goal of the present study was to test a set of longitudinal associations, that, if found, would provide support for a hormonal cont...

The goal of this study was to examine whether youths’ perceptions of the level of deviancy in their organized activity peer group predicted an increase in their antisocial behaviours and substance use. Their prior behaviour and the level of codeviance with their friends were controlled. Moderators of this association were also examined, including c...

The study set out to indentify the differences and the similarities in the parental practices of mothers and fathers of kindergarten children known to exhibit problem behaviour (n = 109) as it relates to parenting a son or a daughter. The results obtained from self-reported parental measurements and direct observation of the parent–child dyad in a...

This study examined the unique and simultaneous contribution of adolescents' characteristics, parent-child relationship and friends' characteristics on early sexual intercourse, while accounting for family status. A longitudinal multi-sample design was used. The first sample was recruited in a suburban context (n = 265; 62% girls) and the second sa...

There is a strong empirical connection between individual and peer substance use during adolescence. The determination of whether this level of covariation reflects influence or selection is obscured by both the design and measurement strategies used. This present study utilizes a short-term longitudinal design with bi-monthly assessments to addres...

Behavioral outcomes of intervention targeting young aggressive children have to be carefully assessed. Researchers and practioners need reliable, valid, and bias-free instruments that are also sensitive enough to detect any change in children’s behavior. The first goal of this article is to highlight limitations imposed by indirect measures of beha...