
Developmental Psychology
The Gothenburg group for Research in Developmental psychology (GRID) studies individuals’ psychological development and living conditions across the lifespan. The social and societal contexts surrounding the individual (such as family, peers, school, work, sports, and digital contexts) are central to our research. Many of our studies are longitudinal and some follow the same individuals from infancy to adulthood.
Research group: The Gothenburg group for Research In Developmental psychology (GRID)
Our research
GRID aims to study central aspects of psychological development, with all the variation and complexity that it entails. Our research adds to the body of empirical and theoretical work within developmental psychology and addresses important societal issues. Although much of our research has focused on youth development, we study development as processes of change and stability throughout the lifespan. Many of our projects have clinical relevance as they focus on challenges as well as promotive and protective factors in different phases of life. Some of our projects include intervention studies that are conducted in close collaboration with important stakeholders, such as schools and social services.
GRID often uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, and we use longitudinal designs to follow individuals over time. We study development and living conditions in everyday contexts, while taking the larger societal context into consideration. Topics that we study are for instance:
- Identity, for example narrative and ethnic identity
- Personality
- Sexual development
- Social relations, for example parenthood, bullying and sexual harassment
- Body image
- Physical activity
- Psychosocial adjustment
You can find more detailed information about our research projects below, and you are welcome to contact us with any inquiries.


Publications
Azad, A., & Carlsson, J. (2022). “When you told us what happened to you, I started to shiver” – what children and teenagers immediately express and comprehend after listening to testimonies of Holocaust survivors. Holocaust studies: A journal of culture and history. doi: 10.1080/17504902.2022.2119025
Lidberg, J., Berne, S., & Frisén, A. (2022). Challenges in Emerging Adulthood Related to the Impact of Childhood Bullying Victimization. Emerging Adulthood. doi:10.1177/21676968211051475
Lunde, C., & Joleby, M. (2022). Being Under Pressure to Sext: Adolescents' Experiences, Reactions, and Counter‐Strategies. Journal of Research on Adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12797
Valik, A., Holmqvist Gattario, K., Lunde, C., & Skoog, T. (2022) PSH-C: A measure of peer sexual harassment among children. Journal of Social Issues 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12517
Weick, L., Grimby-Ekman, A., Lunde, C., & Hansson, E. (2022). Validation and reliability testing of the BREAST-Q expectations questionnaire in Swedish. Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, Ahead-of-print(Ahead-of-print), 1-9.
Weick, L., Lunde, C., & Hansson, E. (2022). The effect of implant loss after immediate breast reconstruction on patient satisfaction with outcome and quality of life after five years - a case-control study. Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, Ahead-of-print(Ahead-of-print), 1-8.
Wängqvist, M., Carlsson, J., Syed, M., Frisén, A., Hwang, C. P., & Lamb, M. E. (2022). Within family development of father involvement across two generations of parents. Journal of Family Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000960
Berne, S & Frisén, A. (2021). Utsatt på internet: En internationell forskningsöversikt om nätmobbning bland barn och unga. Statens medieråd.
Burén, J., Holmqvist Gattario, K., & Lunde., C. (2021). What do Peers Think about Sexting? Adolescents’ Views of the Norms Guiding Sexting Behavior. Journal of Adolescent Research, 1-29.
Gyberg, F., Svensson, Y., Wängqvist, M., & Syed, M. (2021). Discrimination and its relation to psychosocial well-being among diverse youth in Sweden. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 1–19.
Helsing, B., Hwang, P., & Frisén, A. (2021). How social networks influence young men to seek psychological help. Nordic Psychology, 73(2), 153-174. doi: 10.1080/19012276.2020.1839540
Helsing, B., Frisén, A & Hwang, C. P. (2021). Sexual risk-taking among young Swedish men testing for STI. European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 26(2), 155-159. doi: 10.1080/13625187.2020.1821355
Jaf, D., Özdemir, M., & Skoog, T. (2021). Immigrant and Swedish Adolescents Involvement in Organized Sports Activities: An Expectancy-Value Approach. BMC Psychology, 9, 12.
Joleby, M., Landström, S., Lunde, C., & Jonsson, L.S. (2021). Experiences and psychological health among children exposed to online child sexual abuse–a mixed methods study of court verdicts. Psychology, Crime and Law, 27(2), 159-181.
Joleby, M., Lunde, C., Landström, S., & Jonsson, L. (2021). Offender strategies for engaging children in online sexual activity. Child Abuse & Neglect, 120, 105214.
Kapetanovic, S., & Skoog, T. (2021). The Role of the Family’s Emotional Climate in the Links between Parent-Adolescent Communication and Adolescent Psychosocial Functioning. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 49, 141–154.
Kling, J., Counsell, A., Frisén, A., Holmqvist Gattario, K., & Piran, N. (2021). Translation and psychometric evaluation of the Experience of Embodiment Scale in a Swedish community sample of young women and men. Body Image, 39, 259-265. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.09.004.
Lunde, C., & Joleby, M. (2021). Young people’s Experiences of Sexting and Online Sexual Victimization. In Violence, Victimisation and Young People (Young People and Learning Processes in School and Everyday Life, pp. 95-112). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Mitchell, L. L., Adler, J. M., Carlsson, J., Eriksson, P. L., & Syed, M. (2021). A conceptual model of identity integration across adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 57(11), 1981-1990. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001246
Skoog, T. & Kapetanovic, S. (2021). The Role of Pubertal Timing in the Development of Peer Victimization and Offending from Early- to Mid-Adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence.
Svensson, Y., & Frisén, A. (2021). Dual-centric work/family identity in young adults. Self And Identity, 2021. doi: 10.1080/15298868.2021.1950828
Voica, S., Kling, J., Frisén, A., & Piran, N. (2021). Disordered eating through the lens of positive psychology: The role of embodiment, self-esteem and identity coherence. Body Image, 39, 103-113. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.06.006
- Joleby, M. (2021). Technology-assisted child sexual abuse. Doctoral dissertation, Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg
- Burén, J. (2020). Sexting among adolescents: A gendered online phenomenon, related to individual and social determinants. Doctoral dissertation, University of Gothenburg.
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Eriksson, P. L. (2020). Developing into early adulthood: The role of identity and personality [Doctoral dissertation]. Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg. http://hdl.handle.net/2077/66774
- Eriksson, P., L. (2020). Developing into early adulthood: The role of identity and personality. Doctoral dissertation, University of Gothenburg.
- Helsing, Bo, 2020. Violence in Close Relationships, Sexual Risk-taking, and Help-seeking among Young Men. Doctoral dissertation, University of Gothenburg.
- Gyberg, F. (2019). Identity; Understanding aspects of process, content, and structure in context. Doctoral dissertation, University of Gothenburg.
- Kling, J. (2019). Being at home in one's body. Body image in light of identity development. Doctoral dissertation, University of Gothenburg.
- Carlsson, J. (2015). Evolving identities – Contents and processes of identity development among people in their late twenties. Doctoral dissertation, University of Gothenburg.
- Berne, S. (2014). Cyberbullying in Childhood and Adolescence - Assessment, Coping, and the Role of Appearance. Doctoral dissertation, University of Gothenburg.
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Wängqvist, M. (2013). That's how people grow up: Identity Formation in Emerging Adulthood [Doctoral dissertation]. Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg. http://hdl.handle.net/2077/32508
- Holmqvist, K. (2013). Body Image in Adolescence: Through the Lenses of Culture, Gender, and Positive Psychology. Doktorsavhandling, Psykologiska institutionen, Göteborgs universitet.
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Lunde, C. (2009). What people tell you gets to you. Body satisfaction and peer victimization in early adolescence. Doktorsavhandling, Psykologiska institutionen, Göteborgs universitet.
Members
Professors and Senior Lecturers
- Ann Frisén
Identity, body image, bullying - Philip Hwang
Identity, parenthood, personality - Carolina Lunde
Body image, sexual development, physical activity/sport - Therése Skoog
Sexual Development, social relations, adjustment - Margaretha Bohlin
Social media, opinion formation, psychological archipelago research - Kristina Holmqvist Gattario
Body image, bullying, sexual harassment - Maria Wängqvist
Identity, parenthood, personality - Sofia Berne
Bullying, ethnic identity, intervention - Johanna Carlsson
Identity, parenthood, narrative identity - Jonas Burén
- Py Liv Eriksson
Identity, parenthood, narrative identity
PhD Students
- Caroline Järdmo
Identity, narrative identity - Johan Lidberg
Bullying, resilience - Andrea Karlsson Valik
Sexual harassment, intervention - Hanna Larsson
Identity, personality - Amina Kaafiya Abdullahi
Identity, ethnic identity, intervention - David Sandberg
Identity, ethnic identity, intervention - Ida Malm
Identity, ethnic identity, narrative identity - Jennie Fessé
- Tommy Reinholdsson
Identity, ethnic identity, emerging adulthood - Pär Stern
Identity, ethnic identity, emerging adulthood - Aziz-Kaan Dönmez
Sexual development, sexual harassment, resilience
Assistant Researchers