Sebastian Dys

My research examines how parenting, emotions, temperament, and contextual factors impact youths' antisocial and prosocial behaviour and mental health. Broadly speaking, I am interested in (1) how parent–child relationships (e.g., attachment security) and caregivers' disciplinary practices (e.g., inductive discipline) affect adolescents' social and emotional wellbeing, and (2) how children's moral emotions (e.g., sympathy) and temperament traits (e.g., shyness) impact their social behaviours. 

One of my major ongoing collaborations centers on an attachment-based, evidence-supported parenting program, Connect (http://connectattachmentprograms.org/), which is geared toward parents of adolescents with clinically significant mental health challenges. This work includes culturally adapting, systematically implementing, and rigorously evaluating Connect across the globe. 

In my research, I leverage a wide range of study designs (e.g., experimental, correlational), methodological approaches (e.g., observational tasks, eye tracking, questionnaires) and advanced statistical techniques (e.g., longitudinal structural equation modeling, dyadic data analysis, meta-analysis). I work with an extensive network of collaborators including researchers in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.