SDT Conference 2026 (Geneva, Switzerland)

recruitment, research 12.02.26New study : Share your views of the current world
recruitment, research 12.12.25New study: we are looking for parents of children aged 0-3
scientific publication 01.07.26New publication: “Framing adolescent sexting”
scientific publication 01.07.26New publication: “Mothers’ experiences in parenting programs”
scientific publication 30.06.26New publication: “Perspectives on gendered parenting beliefs in Georgia”
conference presentations 29.06.26SDT Conference 2026 (Geneva, Switzerland)
scientific publication 27.06.26New Publication: “Sometimes relationships with parents wear you out”
conference presentations 24.06.26Conference: EASP 2026 (Strasbourg, France)
media 25.05.26RTBF Auvio: “Geolocation of Teenagers”
conferences 20.05.26BAPS conference 2026 (Ghent, Belgium)
media 19.05.26EOS Wetenschap: When Mom or Dad Becomes Big Brother
media 19.05.26Swiss Radio and Television: Being a parent of a teenager
scientific publication 19.05.26New Publication: “Parental overprotection in Italy: Associations with socio-economic pressures”
scientific publication 12.03.26New Publication: Cross-cultural validation of the Anxious Overprotection scale (s-MOPS)
media 11.03.26Radio Campus: “Parenting in 2026”
media 06.03.26RTS: « Parents who overprotect their children »
team 02.02.26Our team of interns is growing!
media 30.01.26Nieuwsblad: “Those who do not want to listen must feel the consequences”: FAFO parenting is becoming more popular
scientific publication 27.01.26New publication: Pressures to be perfect, world instability, and overprotective parenting
media, médias 21.01.26Bruzz: “Pregnant at the restaurant : Brussels restaurants are still not very adapted to pregnant women”
PhD defense 16.01.26Congratulations to Dr. Gaëlle Venard!
team 04.01.26Welcome to our new research intern!
scientific publication 22.12.25New publication: Contemporary parenting norms and coparenting coordination
media 11.12.25Prisme: “Parents and children… Do you follow?”
media 06.12.25Le Temps: “The ideal of the perfect parent is still something to aspire to, but at what cost?”
media 03.12.25Le Soir: “Living in the woods: escaping the world does not erase the law”
conference presentations 19.11.25ASPO 2025 conference (Maastricht, NL)
media 17.11.25L’Echo: “How to get your teenagers off their screens”
event, présentations 24.10.25A look back at our Salon de la Parentalité
scientific publication 15.10.25New publication: overprotective parenting in Croatia
PhD defense 08.10.25Congratulations to Dr. Mathijs!
media 04.10.25Le Soir: “Between structure and kindness, the impossible quest of parents”
scientific publication 29.09.25New publication: parents’ worldviews and overprotective parenting
team 22.09.25Welcome to our newest research interns!
event 22.09.25Salon de la parentalité: “Being a parent in a changing social world”
conference presentations 25.08.25EARLI and IAP conferences
event 16.07.25Save the date! Salon de la parentalité
conferences, présentations 16.07.25ISPA 2025 conference (Coimbra, Portugal)
research, results 11.07.25Infographic longitudinal study
médias 30.06.25Le Soir: “How to react to poor school results?”
conference presentations 25.06.25ESFR 2025 conference (Madeira, Portugal)
media 15.06.25Le Soir: “Why some young children need to see a shrink”
conferences 25.05.25BAPS conference 2025 (Brussels, Belgium)
media 24.05.25Financieel Dagblad: “Do parents protect their children too much?”
scientific publication 16.05.25New publication: gender essentialist beliefs and parenting
PhD defense, research 15.05.25PhD defense Elliana Lamprianidou
scientific publication 09.05.25New publication: Adolescents’ coping with overprotection
media 01.04.25De Bond: “Are we protecting our children too much?”
médias 07.03.25Le Soir: “Teen sexting, as seen by parents”
team 04.02.25The new interns have arrived!
media 30.01.25NRC: “Let your child fall too”
interview, media 25.01.25Het Parool: “Why parents are afraid to take risks”
scientific publication 22.01.25New publication: Parental representations and regulations of adolescent sexting
scientific publication 07.01.25New publication: intensive parenting among mothers and fathers
interview, media 04.01.25De Standaard: “parents who think the world is dangerous tend to overprotect”
scientific publication 19.12.24New publication: “Love, money and involved parenting?”
conference presentations 11.12.24ASPO conference 2024 (Groningen, Netherlands)
conference presentations 28.11.24VNOP Research Days 2024 (Utrecht, Netherlands)
preregistration, research 21.11.24Preregistration: gender inequality and parenting
research visit 11.11.24research visit Amsterdam
scientific publication 08.11.24New publication: pressure to be a perfect parent
preregistration, research 21.10.24Preregistration: experimental study on adolescent sexting
scientific publication 21.10.24New publication: Group-based vs. individual parenting programs
media 22.09.24Algemeen Dagblad (AD) on mobile phones and “helicopter parents”
team 16.09.24Welcoming our new research interns!
research visit, team 10.09.24Welcoming back Gaëlle Venard!
media 07.09.24Volkskrant: “Becoming an adult requires young people to make mistakes independently”
research 04.09.24Call for unpublished data on overprotective parenting
conference presentations 02.09.24ESA conference 2024 (Porto, Portugal)
research visitor, team 30.08.24Visit from Ghent
scientific publication 10.08.24New publication: helicopter parenting vs. overprotective parenting
conference presentations 05.07.24IARR conference 2024 (Boston, USA)
media, podcast 17.06.24Podcast: Eco-Emois
conference presentation 05.06.24Keynote at the Polish Conference on Developmental Psychology
conference presentations 29.05.24BAPS conference 2024 (Brussels, Belgium)
team, vacancy 28.05.24job opening: postdoctoral fellowship
research, team 01.04.24New project on eco-anxiety
scientific publication 23.03.24New publication: overprotective parenting & identity development
scientific publication 05.03.24New publication: gender equality practices and parenting
presentation 19.02.24Women in Science day 2024
team 01.02.24Welcoming three new research interns!
research, results 24.01.24Exploring contemporary parenting: Insights from Italy
pop-up meeting, presentation 26.11.23Pop-up meeting: “Growing up and growing out?”
presentation 17.11.23Have we entered the era of intensive parenting?
conference, presentation 15.11.23VNOP Research Days (Utrecht, Netherlands)
research visit, team 20.10.23A Swiss visitor!
research visit, team 09.10.23Samarbete med Sverige: Research visit in Sweden
team 05.10.23Welcoming our newest team members and visitors!
research 28.09.23The 4th SAFE-SORRY questionnaire has arrived!
conference presentations 29.08.23Conference: ECDP 2023 (Turku, Finland)
media 17.07.23De Morgen: “should parents be stricter in their parenting?”
conference presentation 05.07.23Conference: ISPA 2023 (Bologna, Italy)
conference presentations 28.06.23Conference: EASP 2023 (Krakow, Poland)
students 19.06.23Master thesis defenses: some preliminary insights
research visitor, team 19.06.23A visitor from Georgia!
conference presentations 13.06.23Conference: ESFR 2023 (Roskilde, Denmark)
team 08.05.23Welcome to our visiting researchers!
scientific publication 06.05.23New publication: Overprotective parenting and social anxiety symptoms
research 01.04.23Third wave of SAFE-SORRY data gathering
conference presentation 24.03.23Conference: SRCD 2023 (Saltlake City, USA)
conference presentations 08.03.23Conference: ICPS 2023 (Brussels, Belgium)
media, publication 13.02.23Le Temps: “The counterproductive fear of the teenager’s parent”
team 13.02.23Welcome to our new research interns!
results 16.01.23Preliminary results: Flemish data collection
results 20.12.22Preliminary results of the spring 2022 data collection
scientific publication 01.12.22New publication: parental overprotection in the context of pediatric cancer
research 27.10.22Season 2 of SAFE-SORRY now available!
research visit, team 29.09.22CIVIS meeting in Aix-en-Provence
media, publication 26.09.22Le Vif (article and podcast): “Overprotected children: those parents who do too much”
team 01.09.22Welcome, Julie (and congratulations, Cindy)!
conference presentation, results 22.08.22SAFE-SORRY goes to Ireland!
scientific publication 16.08.22To endure or to resist? Coping with overprotection
media, publications 25.07.22De Morgen interview: “Should we go back to authoritarian parenting?”
team 18.07.22Internship opportunities
team 24.06.22We’re hiring!
conference presentation, results 22.06.22Conference presentation: Perceptions of a dangerous world and overprotection
scientific publication 02.06.22New publication : Short scale for measuring parental overprotection
conference presentation, results 01.06.22Conference presentations
results 01.06.22Pilot study: Preliminary results
research 19.04.22Launch of two new studies
media, publications 16.03.22Weekend issue in La Libre : How to not be a perfect parent
recruitment, research 10.03.22Call for Participants!
project, team 02.03.22SAFE SORRY goes international
publications 23.02.22Little children, little problems; big children, big problems?
team 14.02.22Welcome to the new research interns
research 09.02.22Launch of POPAY study
team 06.01.22New FNRS grant
article, publication 01.12.21Two new publications
team 01.12.21Our team is growing!
research center 27.10.21Opening of new research centre
research 21.10.21Official launch of our first study
article, publication 09.09.21Family Process: “Putting parental overprotection into a family systems context”
conference, presentation, publication 06.09.21“Advances in the transition for 16-23-year-olds”
media, publication 29.07.21Chasing Childhood at Docville, Leuven
result 06.07.21Pilot study
media, publication 04.12.20Interview with Daily Science : “La surprotection parentale, est-elle le produit des sociétés inégalitaires?”
media, publication 19.07.20Article in Le Matin Dimanche : “Surprotéger son enfant lui nuit.”

The 9th edition of the International Conference on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is taking place from June 30th to July 3rd 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland.

On July 3rd, Stijn Van Petegem will participate in the symposium: “Understanding and Addressing Contemporary Parenting Challenges Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory”. He will present his insights on how parenting is shaped by sociocultural and gendered pressures, providing an overview of studies conducted in the context of the SAFE-SORRY project. You can download the presentation here.