My research interests have to do with families in crisis, break-up or transition situations. The presence of conflicts (nature, frequency, length, means of expression, resolution, etc.) and intra-family violence to which children are exposed in situations when violence is reported and in placement, separation, divorce and family blending situations are central to my research concerns. More specifically I am interested in risk and protection factors likely to predict the type of outcome for the child, his or her quality of life and the consequences of these events for the child’s development. My research also concerns the effects of preventive measures such as group intervention for children of separated parents, family mediation and parental divorce counselling.

My research projects concern the sexual abuse of children and teens, and fall into three main categories. They are carried out under the aegis of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), the Marie-Vincent interuniversity research chair on child sexual abuse, and the sexual violence and health team (ÉVISSA).

The first category is the examination of repercussions on victims and their ability to adapt depending on the nature of the abuse, the relationship with the abuser, the family and the services received.

A second research category consists in seeking a better understanding of the mothers and fathers of child victims of sexual abuse and determining the impact on them of the reporting of the abuse. This research also seeks to verify the importance and impact of support for victims on the adaptation of the child or teenager.

The last category involves interviews with children suspected of having experienced sexual abuse. This research has made it possible to verify the effectiveness of the NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) guide in reducing interviewers' suggestive and directive behaviour (so as to preserve the integrity of the forensic interview process) and in increasing the credibility of the child's testimony in terms of the quality and quantity of details given relating to the sexual abuse. Current research is aimed at increasing our knowledge of the child's personal factors and the family factors that can influence his or her testimony.

I am also the co-holder of the Marie-Vincent Foundation interuniversity research chair on child sexual abuse.

My research interests focus on sexual assault of children and adolescents and I am a member of the Research Center of Interdisciplinary Research on Marital Problems and Sexual Assault (CRIPCAS). Two lines of research emerge from my work. The first aims to understand the variability of life trajectories after sexual assault during childhood or adolescence, including the involvement of processes such as resilience or psychotherapy in subsequent psychological functioning. The second focuses on primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of sexual assault of children and adolescents, including the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the incidence of sexual assault among youth. 

I lead the Research Laboratory on the trajectories of health and resilience of sexually abused young people: TRAJETS. TRAJETS focuses on all the life trajectories of young people who have been exposed to sexual violence during childhood or adolescence. First, we want to document the consequences of sexual assault on the physical and mental health of young people. In doing so, we examine how sexual assault interacts with different life contexts to produce more or less harmful consequences for young people and how these consequences evolve in the short, medium and long term. 

Risk factors that overlap sexual abuse, such as abuse or neglect, and protective factors that may coexist with sexual abuse or assault, such as social support, are central to our studies. These risk and protective factors allow us to better understand what facilitates or hinders the development of young people when they have been sexually assaulted. 

Through our studies, we want to help build the resilience of young people, their families and their environments.

My research program is aimed at achieving a better understanding of normal and atypical neuropsychological development among children and teenagers. More specifically, it aims to:

• Develop and validate assessment and intervention methods for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, in particular attention deficit and learning disorders (dyslexia, dyscalculia)
• Develop and validate analytical and interpretation methods for neuropsychological data
• Model cognitive processes by means of artificial neuronal networks.

My current research focuses on the definition, the determinants and the outcomes of autonomy support (Grolnick & Ryan, 1989; Mageau & Vallerand, 2003) in hierarchical relationships in general, and in parent-child interactions in particular.

• To be autonomy supportive is to consider another (e.g., a child) as a separate individual who has unique needs and feelings and who deserves respect and self-determination (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000). 
• Autonomy support has often been operationalized using the following behaviors: (1) to acknowledge the other’s feelings, (2) to give a rational for rules and demands, and (3) to provide choice and opportunities for initiative taking (Grolnick, Frodi, & Bridges, 1984; Koestner, Ryan, Bernieri, & Holt, 1984).

I am also interested in looking at the other key interpersonal dimensions (i.e., involvement and structure) and how they combine with autonomy support to foster optimal functionning.

Finally, I am co-leader of the How to Project, whose goal is to evaluate the effects of the parenting program called "How to talk so kids will listen & how to listen so kids will talk". This program teaches parents how to offer a clear and consistent structure to their children, while supporting their autonomy and maintaining a warm interpersonal relationship.