Parents and children shape each other's behavior in ways that impact both parents' and children's mental health and well-being. The goal of my research is to better understand how parents can respond to challenging parenting situations in ways that enhances children's mental health. I work towards this goal with colleagues from different disciplines (e.g., psychology, psychiatry, and social work) and by bringing together basic and intervention research, observational, experimental, and intervention evaluation studies (e.g., randomized trials and traditional, network, and individual participant data meta-analysis).
Current research projects include ZonMw supported projects on theoretically precise parenting support, and an NWO Vidi supported project on understanding when risk factors for youth mental health are suitable intervention targets.
I received my MA (2009) from Radboud University Nijmegen and my PhD (2014) from Utrecht University. Before my appointment at the UvA, I worked as a visiting scholar at the University of Oregon and Arizona State University, and as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford.
Key publications:
Leijten, P., Melendez-Torres, G. J., Eradus, M., & Overbeek, G. (2021; Stage 1 Registered Report). Specificity of parenting program component effects: Relational, behavioral, and cognitive approaches to children’s conduct problems. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Advance online publication 15 November.
Leijten, P., Weisz, J. R., & Gardner, F. (2021). Research strategies to discern active psychological therapy components: A scoping review. Clinical Psychological Science, 9, 307-322.
Leijten, P., Melendez-Torres, G. J., & Gardner, F. (2021). The most effective parenting program content for disruptive child behavior: A network meta-analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Advance online publication.
Leijten, P., Melendez-Torres, G. J., Gardner, F., Van Aar, J., Schulz, S., & Overbeek, G. (2018). Are relationship enhancement and behavior management the “Golden Couple” for reducing disruptive child behavior? Two meta-analyses. Child Development, 89, 1970-1982.
Leijten, P. (2023). Editorial: How online treatment research can enrich child and adolescent psychiatry. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, S0890-8567.
MA: Opvoeding en Ontwikkeling [Parenting and Child Development]
MA: Family Systems
Liina Björg Laas Sigurðardóttir: (2024-present)
Karen Rienks: Effectively targeting parental risk factors for children's anxiety (2022-present)
Merlin Nieterau: Parent-child interactions at the early stages of disruptive child behavior (2022-present)
Constantina Psyllou: Individual participant data meta-analysis of parenting programs for disruptive child behavior (2022-present)
Elise Sellars: (2022-present)
Nicole Creasey: How parenting programs affect children's DNA methylation and disruptive behavior (2019-2023)
Sophia Backhaus: Can parenting programs recude child maltreatment around the globe? (2018-2023)
Hend Eltanamly: Parenting in times of war (2016-2020)
Jolien van Aar: Parenting and disruptive child behavior after parenting interventions end (2015-2018)