The chance that people with psychoses become victim of a violent crimes is three times higher than in the general population. This is partly due to the clinical syndrome that is associated with misperception of social cues, self-stigma, decreased self-esteem and a lack of assertiveness. Earlier experiences with violence also increase the risk of victimization. To tackle this downward spiral, an assertiveness training in which psychomotor interventions are combined with kickboxing techniques was developed. The effects of the intervention will be studied using questionnaires and fMRI in both a pilot, a randomized clinical trial and a follow-up study

The TRAILS consortium, consisting of eight research groups from four Dutch universities, has created an internationally unique database from preadolescence into young adulthood in the Netherlands. With this proposal we aim to cover the costs of a sixth wave of TRAILS at about age 25. The sixth wave is essential to adequately capture the course of early adulthood (21-25 years of age) during which several significant life course transitions need to be accomplished (e.g., entering labor market, starting families) that can intensify or buffer existing or newly arising risks for mental health problems.

Young people with a psychotic disorder have the same social goals as their healthy peers, but their social networks are smaller, they participate less often in leisure activities and are less successful in work and education. Causes of these problems are multifaceted, but culminate in difficulties with interacting in daily life social situations. Current treatments have only moderate effects on social functioning. Virtual reality (VR) has a great potential to improve training of social interactions difficulties. With VR, individuals can enter personalized simulations of difficult situations and be coached in the appropriate responses. Our group has previously developed VR treatments (VRT) for paranoid delusions, aggression and social cognition. In the current project, these interventions are merged and extended into VRT-SOAP, a VR treatment of 14 sessions, focusing on enhancing quantity and quality of SOcial contacts, leisure Activities and Participation of young people with a psychotic disorder. The VRT-SOAP intervention will have four optional modules (1-4) and one fixed module (5): 1. Neurocognition and negative symptoms, 2. Social cognition, 3. Paranoid ideations and Social anxiety, 4. Self-esteem and Self-stigma, and 5. Communication and Interaction skills. After preparation and piloting, a single-blind randomized controlled trial is conducted with 116 participants. VRT-SOAP is compared with VRelax, VR video relaxation in combination with stress management psycho-education. Primary outcome is quantity and quality of social contacts, leisure activities and participation, measured with ecological momentary assessments. The effects of the two conditions are compared at the end of treatment and six months later.

Anhedonia, a decreased capability to experience pleasure, is of major public health and clinical importance. It is a dreadful experience for those who suffer from it, causing a sense of disengagement from the surrounding world and increased risk of suicide. Losing the ability to experience pleasure has particularly far-reaching negative developmental consequences in adolescence and young adulthood, when life course decisions are made on the basis of what is satisfying. The relevance of this health problem urges for novel approaches to reinstitute the ability to experience pleasure once it is lost. The proposed study will use state-of-the-art biopsychosocial methods to understand better what causes and sustains anhedonia, and explore the potential of a non-invasive ?shock? to reboot a dysregulated reward system. Starting point of the research program is the notion that specific experiences can cause loss of pleasure, which is hard to counteract due to its innate demotivating impact. The program consists of three interrelated projects. The first project exploits opportunities provided by a large existing longitudinal study, TRAILS, to test theory-driven hypotheses regarding factors implicated in the onset and course of anhedonia in adolescents and young adults. The second project involves a cross-sectional survey to explore associations between losses in various domains of pleasure as well as consummatory, anticipatory, and motivational aspects of anhedonia; topics that have as yet received little attention. Besides, project 2 serves as a sampling frame for the project 3, which examines whether planned exposure to bungee jumping, an experience known to activate the dopamine system and to elicit strong emotions, can serve as a model means of rebooting the reward system and hence foster behaviors that can restore the pleasure of everyday activities and accomplishments.

Voortijdig schoolverlaten is een belangrijk probleem op zowel individueel als maatschappelijk niveau. Uitvallers hebben moeite met het vinden van een baan en komen vaker in aanraking met justitie. Om dit probleem te beperken, heeft onderzoek en beleid zich gericht op het identificeren van risicogroepen. Deze aanpak heeft het probleem weliswaar gereduceerd, maar niet opgelost: in 2014 waren er nog steeds meer dan 25.000 voortijdige schoolverlaters. Ook heeft deze focus op risicogroepen ons geen inzicht verschaft in de directe aanleidingen van voortijdig schoolverlaten, en hoe we dit proces tijdig kunnen bijsturen. Het doel van dit project is inzicht te krijgen in hoe individuele ervaringen en acties de aanleiding vormen voor schooluitval, en welke concrete acties begeleiders kunnen inzetten om schooluitval te voorkomen. Onze aanpak is tweeledig: (1) de ontwikkeling van een simulatiemodel van voortijdig schoolverlaten, gebaseerd op recente ontwikkelingen in de keuzewetenschap, en (2) het verzamelen van empirische procesgegevens (door middel van een te ontwikkelen webapp) over de ontwikkeling van jongeren op het mbo, en hoe begeleidingsinitiatieven in het effectieve ‘Kansen voor Jongeren’ programma van het Oranje Fonds ingrijpen op dit ontwikkelingsproces om voortijdig schoolverlaten te voorkomen. Naast de wetenschappelijke waarde van het beter begrijpen van het proces van schooluitval, zal ons project concrete aanbevelingen opleveren om voortijdig schoolverlaten te voorkomen. Dit helpt scholen, begeleidingsinitiatieven en lokaal beleid bij het kiezen van aanpakken om voortijdig schoolverlaten te voorkomen, en helpt centraal beleid om nationale en internationale afspraken rond het terugdringen van voortijdig schoolverlaters beter na te komen.