Applied Social and Forensic Psychiatry

The research line Applied Social and Forensic Psychiatry employs epidemiology and intervention studies to advance community-based mental healthcare.

The research infrastructure for studies in the area of Applied Social and Forensic Psychiatry is financed by the Epidemiological and Social Psychiatric Research institute (ESPRi) and by Fivoor (Forensic Psychiatry) / Stichting Vrienden van Oldenkotte.

The Department of Psychiatry chairs the ESPRi network, which brings together mental health care organisations in the south and western part of the Netherlands and the municipality of Rotterdam.
ESPRi aims to perform studies directly related to patient care in the participating mental health organisations and to public mental health throughout the wider Rotterdam region.

ESPRi Consortium: Advancing Psychiatric Research and Public Health

Description

The Department of Psychiatry at Erasmus MC leads the ESPRi network, which connects mental health care organizations from the south and west of the Netherlands with the Municipality of Rotterdam.

ESPRi, the Epidemiological & Social Psychiatric Research Institute, evolved from the O3 Research Center, is a collaborative effort aimed at conducting research that directly impacts patient care within these mental health institutions and promotes public mental health across the country.

Participating mental health care providers include

• GGZ Delfland
• GGZ WNB
• GGZ Breburg
• Parnassia Antes
• Yulius
• Emergis
• Pameijer

The consortium's general board consists of the leadership from these mental health institutions, the directors of GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Erasmus MC, and the principal investigators. They are supported by a scientific advisory board.

• Prof. dr. Niels Mulder
  • Professor of Public Mental Health, Psychiatrist
  • Program Leader of ESPRi
  • Project leader of ESPR's UP's cohort
  • Chair of the NVvP since 2022
• Dr. Nina Grootendorst
  •  Assistant Professor, Psychiatrist and Epidemiologist
  • Project leader of ESPRI's iBerry study
  • Trained as an epidemiologist, she earned her PhD in 2016 for her research on prenatal influences on cognition and behavior in children within the Generation R cohort
• Dr. Astrid Kamperman
  • Assistant Professor, Psychologist, and Epidemiologist
  • Serves as the methodologist and statistician within ESPRi
  • Her research focuses on social psychiatric themes, particularly the mental health of women, and the application of Big Data and AI in research and practice
• Milan Zarchev
  • Postdoc, Psychologist, and Epidemiologist
  • Methodologist and statistician within ESPRi
  • His research explores adversity, trauma, childhood maltreatment, and their impact on the development of psychopathology

ESPRi's Core Activities

• Research Initiation and Coordination
  • ESPRi initiates, coordinates, and facilitates research projects across its network
• Statistical & Methodological Support
  • Offering comprehensive support to individual (clinical) researchers, consortium-wide initiatives, and research lines. Key contacts include Dr. Astrid Kamperman and drs. Milan Zarchev.
• Symposia and Knowledge Exchange
  • Annual symposia foster collaboration and disseminate research findings across the field. In addition, ESPRi circulates a biannual newsletter to keep partners and stakeholders informed about the latest developments, ongoing research, and upcoming events.
• Training and Research Opportunities
  • ESPRi provides research opportunities and guidance to PhD candidates, psychiatry residents, and clinical psychology students, many of whom undertake research internships as part of Erasmus MC' two long-running cohort studies: UP's Study and The iBerry Study. For more information or inquiries about available opportunities, you can contact us at onderzoek.psychiatrie@erasmusmc.nl

Research Hub

Beyond its internal projects, ESPRi serves as a research hub, connecting and facilitating epidemiological and clinical research initiatives from both Erasmus MC and its partners. This ensures a continuous flow of knowledge and expertise that enhances the quality and scope of mental health care research in the region.

Other ESPRi Studies

Violence in Acute Psychiatric Care: CRITIC Study.

Erasmus MC Patient Populations

• Postpartum Psychosis
  • OPPER, NP3, Image AL, MRI-study, ExPerienceS
• Peripartum Psychiatry
  • MAIA, DAPPER, Bright Up!, Stop or Go, INCAS, Mind2Care, Peri-OCD, POPPER, PROFILE, Kansrijke Start - Big Data
• PMS and PMDD
  • Period
• ECT Treatment for Severe Depression
  • PROSPECT

Publications

Over the past few years, more than 300 peer-reviewed articles have been published in leading journals within the field. You can explore ESPRi-related publications here.

Previous PhD Theses in ESPRi

Principal Investigators

• 

  W.J.G. Hoogendijk, Professor

  Head of Department

• 

  C.L. Mulder Professor

  Professor of public mental health and social psychiatry

• 

  S.J. Roza MD

  Associate professor Forensic Psychiatry

Project Leaders

• 

  N.H. Grootendorst - van Mil, PhD

  Principle Investigator the iBerry Study

• 

  A.M. Kamperman PhD

  Assistant professor