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.

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.