'Research on adolescence is more interesting when done together with adolescents' 

Margot Peeters is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences

Peeters studies adolescent development and focuses her research on topics such as risk behaviour and addiction, (problematic) gaming, externalising behaviour and school absenteeism. She is particularly interested in the interaction between individual differences and the influence of social contexts (peers, educational level, school) on the development of risk behaviour, with the relationship between risk behaviour and mental health being an important recurring theme.  Her research focuses on young people's perspectives and tries to bridge science and practice through participatory research methods.

Peeters is involved in multiple studies and projects such as the TRAILS study, the DiYo project, the Minding the Gap project and the academic collaborative center ’"Youth and Family Central". TRAILS is a longitudinal, multidisciplinary study of the psychological and social development of adolescents and young adults. In the DiYo project Peeters studies the development of gaming behavior among adolescents. In the "Minding the Gap project" the mental health of youth living in poverty is evaluated and together with municipalities prevention strategies are developed. Within the academic collaborative center ‘Youth and Family central’, Peeters works together with various parties and organizations (GGD, Trimbos, Youth Health Care) in the field of youth and young people and she leads the study 'Mental Capital' together with professor Kleinjan on schoolstress en school dropout.

Peeters obtained her doctorate cum laude for a study into the development of alcohol and substance use among (at-risk) young people. Within education, she is Program coordinator Youth Development and Social Change. Peeters is a member of the Trimbos Expertise Center Alcohol Advisory Committee.