Dr Jessie Hillekens

Expertise

My research combines insights from developmental, social, and cultural psychology to understand human development within its socio-cultural context. I investigate development of youth from diverse (cultural) backgrounds as well as from different cultural contexts and how it is afforded by society and the people around them (e.g., parents, peers, teachers). As I believe that children are our future, my ultimate research goal is to ensure a safe and enriching childhood in the broadest sense for all youth, across different cultural and family backgrounds, gender, sexual orientations, and physical and mental (dis)abilities. I am therefore currently extending my research beyond cultural diversity to other diversity experiences.

Tags: (Cultural) diversity, social inequality, intergroup/social relations, acculturation and identity, (school) adjustment and well-being

Teaching

In the Bachelor, I coordinate and teach the course ' Development of personal relationships' in the second year of the Dutch and English psychology program. In the Master, I am also involved as supervisor of master theses in the clinical child and youth program. Prior to this, I have also coordinated and taught 'Statistics for Psychologists - Part 1' in the first year of the Dutch psychology program at the Catholic University of Leuven as well as supervised master theses in the clinical and research master programs. 

Courses

• Dev. of Personal Relationships (Dutch P)
• Development of Personal Relationships

Recent publications

1. Family functioning, identity commitments, and school value among ethn…

   Mastrotheodoros, S., Hillekens, J., Miklikowska, M., Palladino, B. E., & Lionetti, F. (Accepted/In press). Family functioning, identity commitments, and school value among ethnic minority and ethnic majority adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

2. How school and home contexts impact the school adjustment of adolesce…

   Hillekens, J., Baysu, G., & Phalet, K. (2023). How school and home contexts impact the school adjustment of adolescents from different ethnic and SES backgrounds during COVID-19 school closures. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52(8), 1549–1565.

3. Multiple pathways of integration - Acculturative change and associati…

   Hillekens, J., Baysu, G., & Phalet, K. (2023). Multiple pathways of integration: Acculturative change and associations with school adjustment in immigrant-origin adolescents. Child Development, 94(2), 544-562.

4. Sociale relaties

   Schouten, A., Hillekens, J., & Boiger, M. (2023). Sociale relaties. In L. Meeussen (Ed.), Crossculturele Psychologie (1 ed.). Uitgeverij Acco.

5. Contextualizing acculturation patterns and pathways of minority adole…

   Hillekens, J. (2022). Contextualizing acculturation patterns and pathways of minority adolescents: A developmental and intergroup relations approach. [Doctoral Thesis, KU Leuven].