Mesman, Prof. J. (Judi)



Telephone number: +31 (0)71 527 3482
E-Mail: mesmanj@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Faculty / Department: Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen, Instituut Pedagogische Wetenschappen, Algemene en Gezinspedagogiek
Office Address: Pieter de la Court gebouw
Wassenaarseweg 52
2333 AK Leiden
Room number 4B31
Telephone number: +31 (0)71 527 3482
E-Mail: mesmanj@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Faculty / Department: Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen, Instituut Pedagogische Wetenschappen, Algemene en Gezinspedagogiek
Office Address: Pieter de la Court gebouw
Wassenaarseweg 52
2333 AK Leiden
Room number 4B31
Personal Homepage: www.socialsciences.leidenuniv.nl/​educationandchildstudies/​childandfamilystudies/​organisation/​mesman.jsp

Academic Career

  • Professor of Parenting and Education in the Multicultural Society - special chair (2009-present)
  • Chair of the Centre for Child and Family Studies (2009 - present)
  • Associate professor (UHD), Centre for Child and Family Studies and Data Theory, Leiden University (2006-present)
  • Assistant professor (UD), Centre for Child and Family Studies and Data Theory, Leiden University (2002-2006)
  • Lecturer: Department of Developmental Psychology, Leiden University (2001-2005)
  • Post-doc, Centre for Child and Family Studies and Data Theory, Leiden University (2001-2002)
  • Research associate: Netherlands Institute for Health Care Research (NIVEL), Utrecht (2000-2001)
  • PhD. Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam (2000)
  • MA. Psychology, Leiden University (1996)

Academic awards

  • ERC Starting Grant laureate (2009). European grant for promising researchers who have the proven potential of becoming independent research leaders.
  • Award for 'Excellent teacher 2008' of the Department of Education and Child Studies, Leiden
  • NWO - VENI laureate 2004. Grant for outstanding young researchers who are among the top 10-20% of their peer group

Teaching activities

  • Bachelor course Developmental psychology
  • Bachelor course Observing parent-child interactions
  • (Research) Master course Family Process and Developmental psychopathology
  • (Under)graduate observation training: parental sensitivity, discipline, child aggression

Main research activities

My main research theme is the influence of early childhood parenting on child behavioral and cognitive development, with a special emphasis on ethnic minorities and gender. Some of my current and completed projects are listed below.

Boys will be boys (since 2010): The aim of this project is to shed light on the issue of early childhood gender-differentiated socialization and gender-specific susceptibility to parenting within families in relation to disruptive behaviour in boys and girls in the first four years of life (funded by an ERC Starting Grant)

SIMCUR (Since 2009): Social Intergration of Migrant Children: Uncovering Family and School Factors Promoting Resilience. The aim of the project is to uncover the processes underlying developmental resilience in children from Turkish migrant families during the transitions to primary and secondary education in three European countries: The Netherlands, Norway, and Germany (funded by a NORFACE grant).

Parenting intervention in Turkish families (since 2008): In this study a culture-sensitive adaptation of the Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) has been developed and is being tested in an RCT for effectiveness in Turkish families with toddlers at risk for externalizing problems (funded by ZonMw).

The physiology of harsh parenting (since 2006): In this study, we look for early indicators of harsh discipline in low SES families. We focus on home observations of maternal discipline behaviors and autonomous physiological responses to interactions with their own children and exposure to recorded crying sounds (funded by the Rommert Casimir Institute).

A tale of two theories (2004-2009): This study tested the development of early externalizing problems and the relative contribution of parenting mechanism proposed in Coercion theory and in Attachment theory to these problems (funded by an NWO-Veni grant).

Parenting Turkish toddlers (2004-2009): The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and development of toddler externalizing behavior problems in Turkish immigrant families, and their association with parenting practices.

SCRIPT (2001-2006): Screening and Intervention of Problems behaviors in Toddlerhood. This study tested the effictiveness of the Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) aimed at reducing early childhood disruptive behaviour problems.

 

   

 

Selected publications

  • Mesman, J. (2010). Maternal responsiveness to infants: Comparing micro-level and macro-level maesurs. Attachment and Human Development, 12, 149-155. 
  • Mesman, J. & Yaman, A. (2010). Opvoeden in twee culturen. In J. de Jong & S. Colijn (Eds). Handboek transculturele psychotherapie en psychiatrie. Utrecht: De Tijdstroom Uitgeverij.
  • Mesman, J., Van IJzendoorn M.H., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J. (2009). The many faces of the Still-Face Paradigm: A review and meta-analysis. Developmental Review, 29, 120-162. 
  • Mesman, J., Stoel, R., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J., Van IJzendoorn, M.H., Juffer, F., Koot, H.M., Alink, L.R.A. (2009). Predicting growth curves of early childhood externalizing problems: Differential susceptibility of children with difficult temperament. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37, 625-636. 

For more publications please see the tab Published Workat the top of this page.  

Dissertations (PhD. projects)

  • Yaman, A. (2009, december 10). Second-generation Turkish immigrant families in the Netherlands'. Prom./coprom.: prof. dr. J. Mesman, prof. dr. M.H. van IJzendoorn, & prof. dr. M.J. Bakermans-Kranenburg.
  • Stolk, M.N. (2007, maart 08). Parenting intervention and the caregiving environment: Cumulative risk and process evaluation. Prom./coprom.: prof. dr M.H. van IJzendoorn, dr J. Mesman, & dr M.J. Bakermans-Kranenburg. 
  • Alink, L.R.A. (2006, november 09). Early childhood aggression. Prom./coprom.: prof.dr F. Juffer, H.M. Koot, prof. dr M.H. van IJzendoorn, dr J. Mesman, & dr M.J. Bakermans-Kranenburg. 
  • Zeijl, J. van (2006, juni 07). Externalizing problems in 1-to-3-year-old children. Prom./coprom.: prof. dr M.H. van IJzendoorn, prof.dr F. Juffer, dr M.J. Bakermans-Kranenburg, & dr J. Mesman.

Web editor Child and Family Studies
Last Modified: 30-09-2010