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 program is aimed at achieving a better understanding of the cognitive and psychological consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adults, using a number of methodological approaches. More specifically, my work concerns:

1. the development of models for predicting future developments in TBI patients
2. the development of neuropsychological tools for TBI clients
3. the evaluation of early intervention and rehabilitation programs for TBI patients

My research program is aimed at improving our understanding of the influence of music on cognition and health in both the non-clinical population and among people with neurological disorders or mental health problems. In particular, I am interested in the effect of musical moods (e.g. relaxing, stimulating) on the emotional state and on cognition (e.g. the executive functions). For instance, my research focuses on examining the impact of background music on cognition and on developing musical activities to reduce stress. My research is supported by the SSHRC.

Louise Nadeau's professional work and research interests concern drug addiction, and lie mainly in three areas:

1. Women with problems linked to their consumption of psychoactive substances
2. Mental disorders associated with dependence on psychoactive substances
3. Epidemiology of alcohol. Louise Nadeau is the lead investigator in the RISQ team conducting research and interventions into psychoactive substance abuse in Quebec at the Centre Dollard Cormier, which focuses broadly on more effective interventions with users of rehabilitation services.

My research work addresses different themes linked to couple relationships, in the general population and in clinical populations. First of all, the adult attachment theory shapes much of my research. Drawing inspiration from this theoretical model, I examine the close bonds between attachment, conjugal support and sexuality, to better understand the dynamics of conjugal relations among different populations of couples. Second, I am especially interested in infertility. My work aims at 1) assessing the psychological, conjugal and sexual impacts of this problem, 2) assessing the specific needs of couples undergoing infertility treatment and 3) developing interventions for optimizing these couples' well-being. Lastly, conjugal abuse and dyadic coping are also among my fields of interest.