Research Unit of the University Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (SUPEA)

Clinical research unit

Head: Sébastien Urben

The clinical research Unit has two main objectives: 1) to study empirically the mechanisms underlying child and adolescent psychopathologies; 2) to conduct evidence-based studies in order to assess the clinical practice and the therapeutic tools used within the Service in order to improve and adapt the care for our patients.

More precisely, our first mission—“Biopsychological approach of self-regulation skills in developmental psychopathologies”—aims to better understand the developmental trajectories of psychopathologies found throughout childhood and/or adolescence, by studying their underlying mechanisms (e.g., executive functions, emotional regulation, socialization abilities, mentalization capacities). In order to examine the factors contributing to the emergence and development of psychopathologies in childhood, we combine biological measures (central nervous system: magnetic resonance imagery, electroencephalogram; autonomous nervous system: heart rate variability, alpha-amylase; neuro-endocrine system: cortisol) with psychological measures (e.g., mother-child interaction, early life stress, social network, coping capacities).

Our second mission— “Evidence-based practice in child and adolescent psychiatry” —aims at the improvement of the care that we provide and the optimization of our clinicians’ work. For example, we examine the trajectory of our patients both in our outpatient and in our hospitalization services (i.e. improvement, no change, regression) as well as their satisfaction with the care that we provide.

Globally, our missions articulate around the patient who is at the heart of our concerns et for which we work in collaborations with the clinicians of the service.

Translational research unit

Head: Benjamin Boutrel et Jean-René Cardinaux

For a detailled description : follow this link and this link.