News



Florence Tsakpinoglou’s article published

Florence Tsakpinoglou’s article on emotional competence, mental health and student success in vocational training (VT) was published last month and is now available on our websit

Why are mental health and emotional competence pillars of educational success for vocational training (VT) students?

Learn more about the results and practical implications of this study by Florence Tsakpinoglou, as part of her doctoral thesis, and Marie-Hélène Véronneau.

Available on our website under the title La réussite des élèves en formation professionnelle au Québec : effets directs et modérateurs de la compétence émotionnelle: https://lepsis.uqam.ca/recherche/publications/


New UQAM Strategic Chair on the promotion of well-being during school and post-school transitions

Marie-Hélène Véronneau, director of Lépsis, becomes holder of the UQAM Strategic Chair on the promotion of well-being during school and post-school transitions, which will see the light of day from January 2024.

This chair will facilitate collaborations between researchers in various fields (psychology, education, management and other disciplines) to better understand the factors that facilitate successful transitions. This group will also aim to mobilize knowledge for better use of research findings in school settings. 

More details in the press review section of our website





Television and radio interview on the new legislation on working hours for students aged 14 to 16

With the new legislation on working hours for students aged 14 to 16, Marie-Hélène Véronneau participated in television and radio interview to help us better understand what this change means for our youth.

Happy listening and viewing!

You can access all 5 interviews on Linktree, here :

  • Interview with Sabrina Marandola for CBC Montreal’s “Let’s Go” radio show
  • TV interview with Sudha Krishnan for CBC Montreal News
  • Interview with Barbara Leroux for the radio program En direct, on Ici Première
  • Interview with Brian Southwell for WNCU’s radio program “The Measure of Everyday Life”
  • Interview with Shawn Apel for CBC Listen’s Radio Noon Quebec

The work of LÉPSIS highlighted by the American Psychological Association

We’re proud to announce that a recent study published by Marie-Hélène Véronneau and Sophie-Caroline Trempe in the Canadian Journal of Behavioral Sciences has been selected as the APA’s “spotlight” article of the month.


The APA has published a summary of the scientific article, which describes how the relationship with a best friend can have a role to play in relation to academic motivation and the pursuit of studies in high school. The abstract is available here and also, the full scientific article, from Sophie-Caroline Trempe’s doctoral essay, can be found here, along with other Lépsis publications


This “spotlight” highlights the excellence of research carried out in Quebec and gives it international visibility.


Participation of William Gilbert at the SSEA2023 congress

On June 15, William Gilbert presented, at the SSEA2023 congress in San Diego, the results of projects funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) (SSHRC-CRSH) on the emotional competence and educational success of vocational training students that he realized with our LEPSIS team at the Department of Psychology – UQAM


We congratulate him for his presentation !!


The content of his presentation is available here: https://lepsis.uqam.ca/en/research/conferences/


SQRP Congress May 2023

Here are some memorable events of the conference of the Quebec Society for Research in Psychology – SQRP for the members of Lépsis:

  • The symposium of our FRQSC Emotional Competence Team (UQAM | University of Quebec in Montreal – Concordia University) in which our new doctoral student Evelyne Montminy presented her research in collaboration with our coordinator Éva Lefebvre and the director of the lab Marie-Hélène Véronneau
  • The poster summarizing the presentation of Catherine Plante Gonthier’s specialization thesis, in co-direction with Camille Jutras-Dupont
  • The Saturday evening banquet, which allowed the members of Lépsis, the students of the Canada Research Chair on Gender Differences at School as well as their director Isabelle Plante (UQAM) and their collaborator Élizabeth Olivier (University of Montreal) to meet or find each other.

What a beautiful congress! We are already looking forward to next year.


The emotional competence of students in vocational training and their well-being in employment

Do emotional competence and educational success contribute to the psychological well-being of students from vocational training during their transition to employment? In this capsule, Professor Marie-Hélène Véronneau, Ph.D., researcher in psychology at the University of Quebec in Montreal, presents a study realized by her doctoral student Sasha Voyer, with the support of our research team, which aims to answer this question.

In this study, the results highlight the importance of emotional competence in promoting educational success in vocational training and psychological well-being at work soon after the transition to employment. Concrete avenues are offered to people who work in vocational training centers to promote the emotional competence of students.

The full study will be published in the McGill Journal of Education.

***Video capsule in French only***


Cohort 2022-2023: PSY7127 Sector Seminar in Educational Psychology

Students of the psychology in education seminar realized a knowledge mobilization project on a subject related to psychology in education to a target audience. You can see the results of their work in the “knowledge mobilization” section of our website.

Infographic: Preventing vaping among Quebec adolescents: Equipping school psychologists and psychoeducators, by Marion Chatelois, Zakaria Idrissi and Ilana Singer

Video capsule: The Lolo bubble, by Marie Annick Lussier and Shanyce Alyssa Joseph (recognition of the needs of autistic students in order to better support them)


Conference : Difficulties and challenges of mental health in vocational training

Marie-Hélène will participate in a conference to which you’re invited ! This conference will be about Difficulties and challenges of mental health in vocational training : Cross-views between Switzerland and Quebec and will take place on Tuesday, May 30 from 9:00am to 10:30am (Quebec time) and from 3:00pm to 4:30pm (Switzerland time)

Registration : https://forms.gle/jtMCrRvWhx6sxupv8. You will receive the Zoom link to attend the conference on May 15, 2023.


Marie-Pier Dupré obtains her doctorate

Congratulations to Marie-Pier Dupré who has just completed her doctorate in psychology! Her essay is titled “Moderating effects of popularity and peer acceptance in the relation between parental rejection and anxiety symptoms in adolescence” and it will be available shortly in Archipel, UQAM’s institutional repository. In addition, the article at the heart of her essay will soon be published in the Revue de psychoéducation.

We wish a successful continuation for Marie-Pier, who continues her practice as a perinatal and early childhood psychologist at the CISSS de Lanaudière, and who plans to start a private practice in parallel with these activities.


CRDH Annual Conference

On Friday March 17, 3 students from the laboratory presented scientific posters at the CRDH (Human Development Research Center) conference at Concordia University.

  • Catherine Cimon-Paquet: Parental Monitoring and High School Academic Achievement as Antecedents of Educational Attainment and Job Satisfaction
  • Laetitia Gendron: Creation of the School Satisfaction Scale (ESPS): Preliminary Analyzes
  • Laurence Trudeau: Nontraditional paths towards successful life outcomes: Pilot study on cortisol measurement by hair sampling

We also wish good luck to Catherine Cimon-Paquet, PhD student in psychology who will have the opportunity to present her poster at the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) conference in Salt Lake City this week!


Defense of Florence Tsakpinoglou’s doctoral thesis

Congratulations to Florence Tsakpinoglou who successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled “La réussite éducative en formation professionnelle : Validation d’un premier questionnaire et étude du rôle de la compétence émotionnelle” .

The thesis will soon be available in Archipel, UQAM’s institutional repository for theses. Stay tuned!

As a new doctoral student, Florence will continue her activities as a clinical psychologist. The members of LÉPSIS wish her all the best in her projects.



Poster summarizing the results of a recent publication on academic motivation profiles among high school students

In order to share with our participants some of the research results obtained through their collaboration, we have created this poster that summarizes the main points of a recently published study.

We present here this poster for people from the general public who might be interested in this mainstream version of the main results presented in the article by Petit, Véronneau and Mathys (2022), available here.



Olivier Gaudet has completed his doctorate degree

It gives us great pleasure to announce that Olivier Gaudet has completed his doctorate degree with a scientific-professional profile (Ph.D/Psy.D.) in the Psychology Department, UQAM.

On April 29th, he presented his doctoral thesis “ L’influence longitudinale de la popularité individuelle, de la centralité dans la clique et de la popularité de la clique sur le développement de l’estime de soi au début de l’adolescence ” under the direction of Marie-Hélène Véronneau.

This doctoral research was supported by grants from the Fonds de recherche du Québec, société-culture and the Faculty of Human Sciences of l’UQAM.

We wish him success and good luck in his future projects.

Congratulations Oliver!


On March 23rd, Marie-Hélène Véronneau is a guest speaker at a webinar discussing the influence of friendship on academic motivation

On Wednesday March 23 at 7 p.m., Marie-Hélène Véronneau, director of the Lépsis, hosts a webinar on the theme “When friendship influences academic motivation”.

Organized by the PREL, the event is free and open to the general public – details for registration are below

Registration:

https://event.webinarjam.com/register/62/47y4rug4


We are looking for a postdoctoral scholar who is interested in joining our lab

The Educational Pathways and Social Influences Research Laboratory (LEPSIS) is led by Dr. Marie-Hélène Véronneau. Our team of about ten active members collaborate on many projects at different stages ofdevelopment (see https://lepsis.uqam.ca/en/research/projects/). We are looking for a postdoctoral scholar who is interested in joining our lab for one year, with a possibility of extension if securing external funding. Our research revolves around educational success, social experiences, and mental health among adolescents and young adults. The person who will join our team will have access to a professional network through the Department of Psychology, and through our affiliations with the several centers and groups: Center for Research in Human Development, Neuroqam, Health and Society Institute, Research Chair on Gender Differences at School, Vocational Training Observatory. 

Postdoctoral scholar position



“Hooked on School Days” in February 2022: LÉPSIS reveals its new video on the predictors of educational success in vocational training

The first results of our study “Emotional Competence in Vocational Training” are available, and our team has created a video and a flyer to present them.

We invite you to share the video on your social networks or by email to your contacts who may be interested.

For people who work in vocational training centers, free copies of the brochure can be ordered in order to allow distribution during the “Hooked on School Days” in February. Click here to complete the order form.


Launch of a new STUDY on educational pathways and life satisfaction

This study is now complete. Thank you for your participation!

Please note that the prize draw will take place the week of the 28th of February, 2022.

The LÉPSIS lab members, under the direction of Professor Marie-Hélène Véronneau are proud to launch a brand new study on school paths and life satisfaction!

This study is part of Catherine Cimon-Paquet, doctoral student at LEPSIS, thesis.

We need you!  If you are an adult living in Quebec, you can participate in this study by completing a short survey (approximately 10-15 minutes to complete it).

→ TO PARTICIPATE : https://uqamfsh.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ba2WLQatM3bsHHg

You will have a chance to win one of three prizes valued at $ 50 in the form of a prepaid gift card! In addition, you will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in positive psychology.

For any questions, please contact Catherine at the following email address: cimon_paquet.catherine@courrier.uqam.ca



Several of our members will be presenting at the next SQRP 2021 annual meeting

Several LÉPSIS members will participate in the annual meeting of Société Québécoise pour le Recherche en Psychologie (SQRP) this month.

On October 13th, between 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., Zakaria Idrissi will give a presentation at a symposium organized by the Emotional Competence Team, of which our lab is a part.  This symposium is organized by our postdoctoral fellow Ibtissem Ben Alaya.  Zakaria presentation will be focusing on the academic motivation profiles of high school students from Quebec and Belgium.  These results were analyzed by our postdoctoral fellow Marie-Pier Petit. 

In addition, on Friday, October 15th, between 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., Eva Lefebvre will be giving a presentation on the link between parenting practices and the motivation of high school students.

We invite you to come and listen to their presentations and discuss their results by selecting the following link Congrès SQRP 2021!


Join our lab: LÉPSIS is looking for a new research coordinator

Poste de coordonnatrice ou de coordonnateur de recherche

Période d’emploi : minimum 12 mois à partir d’aout ou septembre 2021

Marie-Hélène Véronneau, Ph. D., professeure au département de psychologie de l’UQAM et directrice du Laboratoire d’études sur les parcours scolaires et les influences sociales (LÉPSIS ; voir lepsis.uqam.ca) souhaite embaucher une coordonnatrice ou un coordonnateur de recherche pour soutenir son équipe dans la gestion de son laboratoire et dans la mise en œuvre d’une collecte de données. Ce poste à temps plein (5 jours par semaine) pourrait être scindé en deux postes à temps partiel (de 2 à 3 jours par semaine) occupés par deux employé·e·s.

Les tâches liées à la gestion du laboratoire seront réalisées au département de psychologie de l’UQAM, situé dans le complexe des sciences (pavillon Adrien-Pinard). Les tâches liées à la mise en œuvre d’une collecte de données consisteront à coordonner le suivi d’un projet longitudinal portant sur la résilience et les parcours de vie à long terme chez des jeunes recrutés à l’enfance ou à l’adolescence afin de suivre leur évolution à l’âge adulte sur le plan de l’éducation, de l’emploi, de la vie familiale et de l’engagement citoyen. Puisque ce projet est réalisé en collaboration avec les professeures Lisa Serbin, Ph. D. et Dale Stack, Ph. D. du département de psychologie de l’Université Concordia, ce travail sera effectué principalement au campus Loyola de cette université (Psychology Building).

Tâches principales

Gestion du laboratoire

  • Planifier et animer les rencontres de laboratoire.
  • Gérer le personnel du laboratoire (étudiant·e·s et assistant·e·s) : accueil des nouveaux membres, création de contrats, suivi des tâches et des feuilles de temps de chacun·e.
  • Créer des documents de référence pour guider les membres du laboratoire dans leurs tâches.
  • Organiser et assurer la sécurité de documents papier et électroniques et des bases de données de recherche.
  • Collaborer à la rédaction de demandes de subventions et de demande de certificats d’éthique.
  • Participer à la diffusion des résultats de recherche et au transfert des connaissances.
  • Accomplir des tâches administratives diverses.

Collecte de données

  • Planifier et animer les rencontres de suivi du projet.
  • Coordonner les activités de l’équipe de travail et s’assurer d’une progression adéquate.
  • Faciliter les communications et le partage des tâches entre les membres de l’équipe basés à l’Université Concordia et ceux qui travaillent à l’UQAM.
  • Superviser la création de questionnaires en ligne et l’entrée des données.
  • Assurer le nettoyage des données, l’organisation des bases de données dans des dossiers informatiques, la sécurité des données confidentielles et la création des documents de référence (ex. dictionnaire des variables avec statistiques descriptives).

Formation et aptitudes nécessaires

  • Bilingue français — anglais : excellentes habiletés de rédaction et capacité de lecture et de communication orale dans les deux langues.
  • Être issu·e d’un programme de baccalauréat en psychologie avec de l’expérience en recherche scientifique (ex. thèse de spécialisation, assistanat de recherche, bénévolat dans un laboratoire). Les candidat·e·s issu·e·s d’un autre programme relié à la psychologie ou en fin de parcours de baccalauréat seront considéré·e·s s’ils ou elles détiennent une expérience de travail pertinente au poste.
  • Excellentes capacités d’organisation, d’attention aux détails et de résolution de problèmes.
  • Qualités de leadership et capacité à travailler efficacement de manière autonome et en équipe.
  • Maitriser la suite Office (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel) et être à l’aise avec l’utilisation ou avec l’apprentissage de divers logiciels et outils informatiques (SPSS, Zoom, OneDrive, Teams, EndNote, Qualtrics, WordPress, etc.).
  • Sans être obligatoires, avoir un permis de conduite valide et un accès à un véhicule sont des atouts.

Conditions d’emploi

  • Salaire, vacances et autres avantages sociaux : selon les barèmes en vigueur à l’UQAM.
  • 35 heures par semaine si une seule personne est embauchée à temps plein ; de 14 à 21 heures par semaine si deux personnes sont embauchées à temps partiel.
  • Durée du contrat : minimum d’un an, sous réserve d’une évaluation positive après la période probatoire, avec prolongation probable allant jusqu’à deux années supplémentaires. Par la suite, le renouvellement du contrat sera tributaire de l’obtention de financement.
  • Télétravail lorsque requis en raison de la pandémie de la COVID-19 ; travail dans les locaux de l’UQAM (complexe des sciences) et de Concordia (campus Loyola) lorsque les conditions sanitaires le permettront. Il est donc nécessaire d’avoir accès à un téléphone et à l’internet haute vitesse à partir de la maison. Un ordinateur portable sera fourni.

Dépôt des candidatures

  • Votre dossier doit contenir :
  • Une lettre de présentation d’une page
  • Tous vos relevés de notes universitaires (relevés non officiels acceptés)
  • Les coordonnées de deux à trois personnes à titre de référence
  • Votre curriculum vitae, qui doit indiquer la moyenne obtenue dans chaque programme d’études universitaires, vos expériences de recherche et les logiciels maitrisés
  • Date limite de dépôt : 1er aout 2021.
  • Sous toute réserve, les entrevues auront lieu entre le 18 et le 20 aout.
  • Entrée en poste prévue à la fin aout ou au début septembre 2021.
  • Les questions concernant le poste peuvent être envoyées à veronneau.marie-helene@uqam.ca.

Knowledge mobilization: a new section on our web site

Knowledge mobilization:  a new section on our web site

The LÉPSIS members value activities that encourage professionals to use the knowledge acquired from research carried out by the scientific community. We have therefore put online a brand new “Knowledge mobilization” section on our website in order to share tools that can help make scientific projects a reality.

Also available on this web page, several examples of mobilization projects created by UQAM doctoral students in educational psychology.


Congratulations to Éva Lefebvre who won the “Public’s Choice Award” at the RISUQ 2021 Student Colloquium presentations

Congratulations to Éva Lefebvre, research assistant at the LÉPSIS, for winning the “Public’s Choice Award” for her video presentation at the Réseau intersectoriel de recherche en santé de l’Université du Québec (RISUQ) 2021 Student Colloquium for her presentation entitled « Qui sont-ils et comment les aider?  Survol d’un projet en démarrage sur la santé mentale des élèves en formation professionnelle ».


The FRQSC awarded a postdoctoral fellowship to Ibtissem Ben Alaya to support her research project

On April 30, 2021, the FRQSC (Quebec Research Fund – Society and Culture) announced the results of this year’s fellowship contests. The funding agency awarded a postdoctoral fellowship to Ibtissem Ben Alaya to support her research project entitled:

Conception of a good practices repertoire to guide continuing education programs targeting elementary school teachers’ socioemotional competence: a springboard to improve classroom management and students’ success and school persistence

Ibtissem started her postdoctoral work with us in September, 2020, and this fellowship will enable her to pursue her research with our team for up to two more years.

Congratulations Ibtissem!


Yovanna Chacon, one of our graduate students, presented her poster at the last Acfas congress in March

Yovanna Chacon, one of our graduate students, presented her poster at the last Acfas congress in March, 2021.  She presented the results concerning the gender differences involved in the link between parental pressure and academic aspirations expressed by teenagers in secondary 5 in Quebec.

Chacon, Y., Chaffee, K. E., Plante, I. et Véronneau, M.-H. (2021, mai). Différences de genre dans le lien entre la pression parentale et les aspirations scolaires en 5e année du secondaire. Communication présentée au 88e congrès de l’Acfas, Sherbrooke.


Guillaume Gagné-Legault, our honor thesis student, presented his research results at the last Acfas congress.

After several months of research, our honor thesis student Guillaume Gagné-Legault presented his research results on the link between parental supervision and the ability of children to function academically at the last Acfas congress.

Gagné-Legault, G., Cimon-Paquet, C. et Véronneau, M-H. Qui a raison, l’ado ou l’adulte? Comparaison des perceptions de supervision parentale des parents et de leurs enfants en lien avec son fonctionnement scolaire. Affiche présentée au congrès annuel de l’Acfas (mai 2021) ainsi qu’au Centre de Recherche en Développement humain (CRDH) (mars 2021). Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.

View his Acfas video presentation here.


Three of our members presented their posters at the last CRDH congress. Congratulations to Laurence Koslosky who won best poster, undergraduate level.

Three of our members presented their posters at the last CRDH congress on march 29th, 2021. Congratulations to Laurence Koslosky who won best poster, undergraduate level.

Éva Lefebvre

Lefebvre, E., Cortez, M., Ben Alaya, I. et Véronneau, M-H. (mars 2021). Qui sont-ils et comment les aider?  Survol d’un projet en démarrage sur la santé mentale des élèves en formation professionnelle (FP) Affiche présentée au congrès annuel du CRDH, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Guillaume Gagné-Legault

Gagné-Legault, G., Cimon-Paquet, C. et Véronneau, M-H. (mai 2021). Qui a raison, l’ado ou l’adulte? Comparaison des perceptions de supervision parentale des parents et de leurs enfants en lien avec son fonctionnement scolaire. Affiche présentée au congrès annuel de l’Acfas (mai 2020) ainsi que CRDH (mars 2021), Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.

Laurence Koslosky

Koslosky, L., Cimon-Paquet, C., Ben Alaya, I. et Véronneau, M-H. (mars 2021). La supervision parentale à l’adolescence et les différents types de passion pour une activité parascolaire.  Affiche présentée au congrès annuel du CRDH, Montréal, Québec, Canada.



A new grant for the lab! Watch our video presenting a new study on the mental health vocational training students

The team is proud to announce that we have been awarded a grant to carry out a new study on vocational training students’ mental health: “Who are they and how can we help them? Portrait of the vocational training students’ mental health and next steps to promote their success”. 

Thanks to the collaboration of 10 vocational training centers, we will present a portrait of these students’ mental health, establish a directory of services in support of their mental health, and contribute to a better understanding of service use by students who need them. Also, we will communicate the best practices we found across all vocational training centers in Québec. Many thanks to the centers that will be working with us over the next 3 years! 

This study is funded by the Concerted actions program – School persistence and success, form the Québec Research Funds – Society and culture, in collaboration with the Québec Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

Click here to watch a 2-minute video (in French) presenting an overview of the project. 


On March 18th, Catherine Cimon-Paquet et Jérémie Verner-Filion will be presenting a webinar on goal pursuit, performance, and well-being in educational contexts.

Goal pursuit, performance, and well-being in educational contexts: A motivational analysis of optimal functioning.

Webinar hosted by Catherine Cimon-Paquet and presented by Jérémie Verner-Filion, on March 18th, 12:00 pm – 13:00 pm (EST), on Zoom.

Why do some students succeed, while others fail, in their attempt to reach their personal goals? What are the factors that allow them to balance their simultaneous quest for success and happiness? In this webinar, Jérémie Verner-Filion will discuss some of his recent studies showing how student’s motivation for activities in which they engage outside the purview of their academic endeavors (i.e., passionate activities in university students and extracurricular activities in high-school students) can help or hinder the attainment of their personal goals, their functioning at school and their psychological well-being.

Register here.



Congratulations to Dr. Alexandra Oliveira Paiva, Psy. D.

Congratulations to Dr. Alexandra Oliveira Paiva, Psy. D., who submitted her doctoral thesis “The Development of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: The Role of Best Friends and Parents”.

Alexandra worked with the team from the conception of the lab in 2012, first as a undergraduate student in an observational internship, then a research assistant, doctoral student and even lab coordinator!

We would like to thank the FRQSC and the Faculty of Human Sciences of UQAM, who supported her during her career with their doctoral scholarship programs.

Alexandra will now focus on her psychological clinic L’espace, which she opened this fall in collaboration with fellow lab colleague, Rhea Marshall-Denton, Ph. D, Psy. D.

We wish her success and happiness in her future plans.  Congratulations Alexandra!


Congratulations to doctoral student Catherine Cimon-Paquet, recipient of a presentation award during the congress: Journée scientifique 2020 de NeuroQAM

During the Journée scientifique 2020 de NeuroQAM, doctoral student and member of the LÉPSIS, Catherine Cimon-Paquet received a presentation prize in the « best datablitz » category for her presentation «Le rôle des parents dans le parcours scolaire des jeunes de l’enfance à l’âge adulte : une perspective bioécologique».  Congratulations Catherine!


How teenagers experience their friendships during the pandemic: The adjustment of families to a new “online” reality, (video of a webinar, in French)

Online friendships have been a part of adolescents lives for many years.  However, the constraints imposed by the pandemic (classroom and school closures) have made them ubiquitous.  In her presentation targeting parents of teenagers, the director of LÉPSIS, Marie-Hélène Véronneau, Ph.D., presents foundations of research on friendships and various ways in which parents can implement new perspectives on how to support their teenager so that he or she can benefit from successfully managing these virtual communications and avoid associated risks.  By addressing the theme of friendship during the first teenage years as well as the different ways a parent can support their teenager in navigating through this virtual space, this video aims to guide parents in helping their teenagers adequately manage this new reality.

Other resources for the general public are available here.


Another doctoral defense at LÉPSIS

We are pleased to announce that another doctoral student from the lab has just completed her journey with us. The team congratulates Dr. Rhea Marshall-Denton, Ph. D./Psy. D., who defended on October 29 her doctoral thesis “Perceived peer-group social norms as underlying mechanisms of friend and parental influence in early adolescence”.

Rhea played a key role in the development of the laboratory, having notably served as coordinator. We would like to thank the FRQSC and the Faculty of Human Sciences of UQAM, who supported her during her career with their doctoral scholarship programs.

Rhea will now focus on her psychology clinic, L’espace, which opened a few weeks ago.

We wish her success and happiness in her future plans.  Congratulations Rhea!


Find out how the LÉPSIS team implemented its study on the impact of emotional competence on vocational training students (video in French)

The LÉPSIS team is proud to present a short video explaining the implementation of one of its projects, entitled: Emotional Competence in Vocational Training.  The goal of this study is to determine the extent to which emotional competence can enhance the success of vocational training students. Enjoy the video and feel free to comment and share it!


Congratulations to our lab members who received FRQSC scholarships!

Three LEPSIS members are the recipients of doctoral scholarships from the Fond de recherche du Québec- Société et culture.  

Catherine Cimon-Paquet received a doctoral scholarship for her research project on the role of parents in their children’s educational pathway entitled “Le rôle des parents dans le parcours scolaire des jeunes de l’enfance à l’âge adulte : une perspective bioécologique”.  

Yovanna Chacon is the recipient of the FRQSC scholarship for her project on parenting practices, school motivation and school achievement : “Les profils de pratiques parentales basés sur la quantité et la qualité du suivi scolaire : Prédicteurs longitudinaux de la motivation et de la réussite scolaires en cinquième année du secondaire”. 

Finally, Evelyne Gauthier is the recipient of a doctoral scholarship for her project on gender stereotypes, school disengagement and esteem seeking on the web:  “Stéréotypes de genre, désengagement scolaire et recherche d’estime dans les alter réalités du web et des médias sociaux chez les élèves du secondaire”.  


Vocational training demystified (Video in French)

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are faced more than ever with a critical shortage of health care workers such as beneficiary attendants and auxiliary nurses. Because many of these workers have undergone vocational training, we prepared a video for those who want to learn more about this topic. In this video, our lab director, Marie-Hélène Véronneau, Ph.D., presents basic facts about vocational training to help correct the preconceived ideas some people may have about those programs of study. Feel free to share this clip with your friends and family. 

Other resources for the general public are available here.



Online friendships during confinement: a little guide for parents of teenagers

The social isolation created by the confinement associated with the coronavirus pandemic is encouraging teenagers to use social media to maintain their friendships. As a parent, it is normal to be concerned about the well-being of your teenager and to question whether there are any risks associated with the use of online networks.  The director of the laboratory, Marie-Hélène Véronneau, Ph.D, discusses the topic in a short video, and offers some answers to the concerns by presenting the benefits and risks of using them. You can view this video by visiting the “info for general public” tab in the “for the community” section of our website. If you like this video, please feel free to share it! The LEPSIS team wishes you a good listening.

*This video is only available in french
Link to the video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbIUn3GKI3s&feature=youtu.be


Some tips for parents to live well in isolation

The coronavirus pandemic is causing a great deal of distress in society, especially for parents who have to care for their families while managing their adult concerns. To overcome this episode, the director of the laboratory, Marie-Hélène Véronneau, Ph.D., has created a short video in which she presents some options. To view it, go to the “for the community” section and click on the “general public info” tab on our website. We hope you enjoy it! 

*This video is only available in french

Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAtCqRNSfOU&feature=emb_logo


For the first time at the Lépsis: A video presentation on family conflict, substances use and educationnal attainment

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, several scientific meetings have been cancelled. However, some of the lab members showed interest for preparing a video recording of their oral presentations that should have been presented. Catherine Cimon-Paquet, doctoral student, is presenting the first video: If you are interested in the link between family conflicts, substances use and educational attainment, go ahead and watch our 5-minute video!