Major negative life events such as unemployment and widowhood are associated with increased psychopathology and loneliness and reduced self-esteem. However, our measurement designs and statistical methods to detect and describe complex changes are still crude. Furthermore, it is unclear (1) what drives these developmental trajectories, (2) what factors predict heterogeneous developmental trajectories, and (3) how these developmental trajectories generalize across cultures, especially to non-Western ones. The proposed research aims to unravel the effects of negative life events on psychological functioning by improved description, explanation, and generalization. 

• Thao Kieu
• dr. Nikki Lee
• prof. dr. Jaap Denissen
• dr. Liselotte den Boer