Wim Beyers

Ghent University | UGhent · Department of Developmental, Personal, and Social Psychology

High levels of stress experienced in the parental role can lead to parental burnout, a condition with severe consequences for both parents and children. Researchers have begun to document the antecedents of parental burnout, focusing primarily on risk factors. However, little is known about resources that prevent parents from developing parental bu...

Objective: This intervention study seeks to assess the impact of a care competencies training program on students’ well-being. Method: This randomized controlled trial involved 191 Vietnamese adolescents (65.4% female, Mage = 16 years and 8 months) in a 7-week intervention study that used video vignettes to build their care competencies. Validated...

Introduction Late adolescents differ in the degree to which they are thoroughly engaged in the study choice process and in the degree to which their choices are autonomous in nature. This study examined the unique and interactive roles of (a) parental involvement in the study choice process and (b) late adolescents' sense of having an authentic inn...

Parental burnout (PB) is a pervasive phenomenon. Parenting is embedded in cultural values, and previous research has shown the role of individualism in PB. In this paper, we reanalyze previously collected data to identify profiles based on the four dimensions of PB, and explore whether these profiles vary across countries’ levels of collectivistic-...

Purpose The prevalence of parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children, varies dramatically across countries and is highest in Western countries characterized by high individualism. Method In this study, we examined the mediators of the relationship between individualism measured at the country level and...

Late adults differ in the degree to which their mental health is impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, with interindividual differences in their capacity to mobilize coping resources playing an important role. Therefore, the search for inner sources of resilience is important to understand late adults’ adaptation to this crisis. Based on Goal Content Th...

Purpose The prevalence of parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children, varies dramatically across countries and is highest in Western countries characterized by high individualism. Method In this study, we examined the mediators of the relationship between individualism measured at the country level and...

Scholars typically consider parental overprotection to be a maladaptive type of parenting with negative repercussions for adolescents' psychosocial adjustment, with frustration of adolescents' psychological needs serving as an underlying mechanism behind these effects. However, little is known about how adolescents cope with overprotective parentin...

Grounded in self-determination theory, this study examined the explanatory role of teachers’ need-based experiences in the association between teachers’ perceived social pressure (i.e., from the principal, colleagues, and students) and their personal adjustment and motivating teaching style. In total, 482 secondary school teachers (M age = 39.9 yea...

Worldwide, we observe an increasing focus on fostering well-being in adolescents. This is reflected in growing research in the field of care. However, empirical research is lacking that focuses on the relationship between components of care: receiving care, self-care and extending care. This lack of research is mirrored in the lack of valid measure...

This two-year longitudinal study addressed the joint contribution of parent-rated parenting behaviors and child personality on psychosocial outcomes in 118 families of children with Cerebral Palsy (M age Time 1 = 10.9 years old, 64.4% boys). Latent change modeling revealed intra-individual changes in children’s psychosocial development as internali...

In Western countries, recent decades have witnessed a revolution toward gender equality. Inequalities have been greatly reduced in areas such as education or employment. Because inequalities lead to distress, this development has largely benefited women. One notable exception is the realm of parenting, which has remained rife with inequalities even...

Impact and Implications The results of this unique international study by the International Investigation of Parental Burnout – which includes Western and non-Western countries across the globe – point to the importance of considering parental burnout as a syndrome helping to meet specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Of all the potentiall...

The lockdown measures that were taken to contain the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 caused many parents to stay at home with their children. This unusual situation created both risks and opportunities for families. In the present study, we examined the role of parental identity as a resource for parental adaptation during this challenging period, t...

High levels of stress in the parenting domain can lead to parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children. It is not yet clear, however, whether parental burnout varies by culture, and if so, why it might do so. In this study, we examined the prevalence of parental burnout in 42 countries (17,409 parents; 71...

High levels of stress in the parenting domain can lead to parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children. It is not yet clear, however, whether parental burnout varies by culture, and if so, why it might do so. In this study, we examined the prevalence of parental burnout in 42 countries (17,409 parents; 71...

Although different measures for (de)motivating teaching are available for primary and secondary education, a fine-grained instrument to assess a variety of motivating and demotivating teaching practices in higher education is lacking. Adopting a Self-Determination Theory perspective, this study first used the newly developed Situation-in-School Que...

Although abundant research has demonstrated associations between psychologically controlling parenting and adolescent problem behavior, little is known about the moderating role of adolescent personality herein. This study examined whether adolescent personality moderates the associations between parental psychological control and internalizing and...

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show substantial variability in their language development. Language problems are highly prevalent in these children. In addition, the quality of early language abilities contributes to the overall development of these children and is highly predictive of their adult outcome. Yet, little is...

Aim To explore the practice profile and competencies of advanced practice nurses (APN) and midwives (AMPs), and factors associated with task non‐execution. Background Advanced practitioner roles are increasingly implemented internationally. Unofficial role introduction led to confusion regarding task performance. Studies examining associations bet...

With the advent of long-duration interplanetary space missions, astronauts face new psychological challenges never observed before. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, the objective of the present research was to study how astronauts' basic psychological needs relate to astronaut well-being and mission success, and how Mission Support could fost...

The topic of astronaut autonomy has received increasing attention in recent spaceflight literature. However, the question of whether astronauts benefit from autonomy in space, and how autonomy can be fostered by Mission Control deserves further examination. The objective of the present research was to study how the experiences of autonomy relate to...

During exam periods university students are at risk for poor sleep. To understand variability in this vulnerability for poor sleep, the role of the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness was examined by assessing university students (N = 121; 78% female; Mage = 21.69, SD = 1.39, range 19–25) before,...

The present longitudinal study tested for the role of perceived parental autonomy-support and late adolescents' self-worth in their intimacy development. A sample of 497 Belgian late adolescents (Mage = 17.9, 43.5% girls) participated in this two-wave study. Results indicated that perceived autonomy-supportive parenting did not relate significantly...

For reasons of bureaucracy and safety, astronauts on the International Space Station are provided with excruciatingly detailed instructions and a lack of decision-making power, even for simple routine tasks. Besides being time-consuming, many astronauts report feelings of demotivation, irritation, and even defiance when confronted with this working...

The aim of this special issue is to understand better the many changes in adolescent psychopathology have taken place over the last decades. The factors associated with adjustment problems and psychopathology in adolescence today are not necessarily the same as the factors that predicted problems and psychopathology in the past. But the basic strat...

This chapter focuses on a distinction between two conceptualizations of autonomy and the relevance of this distinction for adolescent development. Specifically, we discuss theory and research dealing with autonomy-as-independence (i.e., the degree to which adolescents are self-reliant and make decisions without input from others) and autonomy-as-vo...

Objectives: Low positive emotionality (PE) represents a temperamental vulnerability to depression in youth. Until now, little research has examined the mechanisms linking PE to depressive symptoms. Starting from integrated cognitive-affective models of depression, we aimed to study adaptive emotion regulation (ER) as a key underlying mechanism in...

Examining bidirectional relationships between parenting and child maladjustment in youth with autism spectrum disorder: A 9-year longitudinal study—CORRIGENDUM - Volume 29 Issue 4 - Lisa M. Dieleman, Sarah S. W. De Pauw, Bart Soenens, Wim Beyers, Peter Prinzie

Objective: This longitudinal study aimed to investigate (a) the moderating role of formal social support for functional autonomy versus dependence on the relationship between pain intensity and pain-related disability among older adults with chronic pain and (b) the mediating role of pain-related self-efficacy and pain-related fear in this moderat...

Longitudinal bidirectional effects between parents and children are usually studied in samples of typically developing children, but remain understudied in families with a child with autism spectrum disorder. This three-wave longitudinal study examined how parents and children with autism spectrum disorder influence one another, relying on parent r...

Objective Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) is a frequently used model of personality that is relevant to the period of adolescence. However, the psychometric properties of the most frequently used questionnaires to measure the RST-constructs, namely the Behavioural Inhibition System and Behavioural Activation System Scales (BIS/BAS Sca...

There is ongoing debate about the universal or culture-specific role of controlling parenting in children’s and adolescents’ development. This study addressed the possibility of cultural variability in how controlling parenting practices are perceived and dealt with. Specifically, we examined Belgian ('N' = 341) and Chinese ('N' = 316) adolescents’...

Objective: A recent cross-sectional study showed that maternal rejection is associated with emotional eating of obese youngsters seeking treatment, and that this relation is mediated by maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) of the youngsters. We wanted to build on this study and investigate the relation between parental rejection, maladaptive ER and...

The aim of this special issue is to shed light in the dark side of identity formation in adolescence and emerging adulthood, that is, to provide some understanding in what exactly can go wrong in identity development. After summarizing the recent developments in identity development literature, in this introduction the main findings of all thirteen...

Background Erikson’s theory postulated that healthy identity development is a precursor of intimacy in romantic relationships, but the question remains whether this tenet is still valid today, due to the clearly extended development of identity and altered attachment conditions. Material and methods Using data from a 10-year longitudinal study on 9...

Rather than looking at quantitative differences in exploration and commitment as indicators of (un)healthy identity formation, this study focuses on two qualitatively different forms of exploration using cross-sectional data of 4259 Belgian adolescents and emerging adults (aged 14-30 years; 64% female). First, ruminative exploration or brooding and...

The present study examined the factor structure and construct validity of the Children’s Loneliness Scale (CLS), a popular measure of childhood loneliness, in Belgian children. Analyses were conducted on two samples of fifth and sixth graders in Belgium, for a total of 1,069 children. A single-factor structure proved superior to alternative solutio...

Identity formation is one of the main developmental tasks of emerging adulthood. Based on quantitative data on a five-dimensional model of identity formation, we concluded that the identity formation process has some different features in the Republic of Georgia than it does in many Western countries. Results obtained from young Georgian adults (N...

While lot of parents aim to delay sexual development of their children, peers often stimulate sexual development. How do adolescents deal with these differing social influences? Literature suggests that positive parenting is a buffer against peer influence. In this study, 992 Belgian adolescents (50% girls; 12 to 20 years) reported on own experienc...

The present investigation focused on adolescents' defiance against parents by drawing upon psychological reactance theory (Brehm, 1966) and self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Psychological reactance would be elicited when freedom is taken away, thereby motivating individuals to engage in oppositional behavior. Throughout four studies (t...

Objectives: In current society, an increasing population of older adults and a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in late life is noticeable. A possible protective resource is 'Meaning in Life'. The objective of this study is to identify from a person-oriented view (a) Meaning in Life-profiles, based on Presence of Meaning and Search for Meani...

Het leren omgaan met seksualiteit, lichamelijkheid, en intimiteit hoort bij een gezonde ontwikkeling. Intieme relaties en seksualiteit zijn voor jongeren zelf een belangrijk thema. De ervaringen die ze opdoen op dit gebied leggen een belangrijke basis voor latere intieme contacten en relaties. Ondanks dit is seksualiteit bij kinderen en adolescente...

De seksuele carriere van Nederlandse en Vlaamse jongeren.- Eerste geslachtsgemeenschap op jonge leeftijd: hoe wordt dit beleefd en wat beınvloedt deze beleving?.- Vroeg seksueel debuut in Nederland: een longitudinale studie naar de rol van individuele kenmerken, opvoeding en leeftijdgenoten.- De rol van persoonlijkheid in de ontwikkeling van seksue...

In this longitudinal study, we tested whether the association between oppositional defiance to parental authority (i.e., adolescents' tendency to bluntly reject parental rules) and autonomy would depend upon the specific conceptualization of autonomy. Whereas oppositional defiance would yield more interpersonal distance from parents, because it inv...

This analysis of the papers in the special issue on the transition to adulthood around the Mediterranean calls attention to the role of the family of origin in the transition itself. All the papers analyzed a specific aspect of family relationships, focusing especially on the parent-child relationship. Moreover, several outcomes were considered, su...

Grounded in self-determination theory, the present study addressed the question whether the relation between satisfaction of the psychological needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy and well-being would be constrained by satisfaction of the need for safety. In Study 1, we investigated environmental safety in a sample of young adults (N = 2...

The present study investigated whether satisfaction and frustration of the psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence, as identified within Basic Psychological Need Theory (BPNT; Deci and Ryan, Psychol Inquiry 11:227-268, 2000; Ryan and Deci, Psychol Inquiry 11:319-338, 2000), contributes to participants' well-being and ill-being...

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated naturally occurring profiles based on two dimensions of meaning in life: Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning. Cluster analysis was used to examine meaning in life profiles and subsequent analyses identified different patterns in psychosocial functioning for each profile. METHOD: A sample of 8,492 Ame...

In today’s Western societies, the transition to adulthood is prolonged, creating a separate developmental phase between adolescence and adulthood referred to as emerging adulthood. Following from this general delay in adult commitment-making, a considerable number of emerging adults continues to live in the parental household. The present study was...

De seksuele carrière van jongeren wordt gekenmerkt door drie factoren: volgorde van verschillende stappen, tijd tussen verschillende stappen en timing van de eerste geslachtsgemeenschap. In deze studie gaan we na hoe de seksuele carrière van Nederlandse en Vlaamse jongeren verloopt en onderzoeken we de verschillen tussen jongens en meisjes in dit o...

Depressogenic personality and attachment are two major factors related to the development of adolescents' depressive symptoms. However, no previous longitudinal studies have examined simultaneously both vulnerability factors in relationship to depressive symptoms. The present study examined associations between intra-individual change in adolescent...

Personal identity formation constitutes a crucial developmental task during the teens and 20s. Using a recently developed five-dimensional identity model, this cross-sectional study (N = 5834) investigated age trends from ages 14 to 30 for different commitment and exploration processes. As expected, results indicated that, despite some fluctuations...

Ever since the pioneering work of Schaefer (1965), empirical studies have consistently documented the maladjustment correlates of parental psychological control. In particular, it has been shown that psychological control (a characteristic of parents who engage in manipulative and intrusive behaviors towards their children, such as guilt-induction,...

In several developmental theories, separation anxiety has been identified as an important feature of close interpersonal relationships. Most often, separation anxiety has been examined in the context of mother-child dyads in infancy. Increasingly, however, it is recognized that separation anxiety is also relevant in other relationships (e.g., the f...

Based on a dual-cycle identity model, we examined how identity processes were associated with self-esteem in high school and college students. Cross-lagged analyses in three longitudinal studies found that commitment making and identification with commitment were positively related and ruminative exploration was negatively related to self-esteem. A...

The present study focused on the function of autonomy for individuals from a collectivistic culture, thereby differentiating between two prevailing conceptualizations of autonomy - namely, autonomy as independence and autonomy as self-endorsed functioning. Participants were 573 Chinese adolescents from both urban and rural regions. Autonomy as inde...

The present investigation focuses on the associations between adolescents' insecure attachment styles (i.e., anxiety and avoidance) and their autonomous functioning in family decision making. In line with recent insights in the construct of adolescent autonomy, we combined two perspectives on autonomy, differentiating between the degree of independ...

The present study examined the reliability and validity of the Leuven Adolescent Perceived Parenting Scale (LAPPS), an instrument initially developed for use with Dutch-speaking adolescents in Belgium, in French-speaking adolescents living in that same country. The instrument was administered to a sample of French-speaking adolescents (N = 625) and...