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Biography

Lydia is a senior research fellow at the University of Turku, department of INVEST Psychology, Finland, and the coordinator of the Open Science Community of Turku. Her research mission is to eliminate bullying worldwide and to foster resilience in victims of bullying by activating peer bystanders.

Lydia is the Principal Investigator of SOLID: a pioneering project that aims to identify Success factors that Optimize the Long-term Impact of Defending. SOLID puts to the test the widely held assumption of anti-bullying programs – that peer defending is helpful for victims – for which little empirical evidence is available. Lydia successfully coordinated a large-scale data-collection in a sample of n = 6,500 children and adolescents, from whom she collected both survey and - among about n = 1700 student, for 3 weeks - daily diary data. The sampling and design of SOLID has been pre-registered before any data-collection started. Moreover, Lydia pre-registered five papers to be conducted, also before (most of the) data-collection started.

Lydia also collaborates in various large-scale projects, including the Challenge project (PI: Christina Salmivalli) for which she evaluates the effectiveness of targeted interventions in severe bullying cases and tested the healthy context paradox. Lydia is also involved in the GUTS-project (Growing Up Together in Society; University of Leiden, The Netherlands). Lydia contributes to a subproject testing the role of peers in self-control (using peer network data and MRI data). Lydia is involved in a project of the University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) which aims to enroll the Meaningful Roles intervention at secondary schools. Lydia coordinated the data-collection and cleaning of the SNARE project (Utrecht University and Groningen, The Netherlands) involving survey and genetic data, and still is data-manager of this data.

Open Science is a key principle in the work of Lydia. She strongly advocates Open Science and adopts many Open Science practices in her own work (pre-registrations, registered reports, opening up her workflow by sharing syntaxes, FAIR data management and storage). Lydia founded the Open Science Community of Turku, and by doing so, she contributed to the University of Turku being a frontrunner with regard to Open Science in Finland. For this Community, Lydia regularly organize activities, such as workshops, brownbag sessions, or presentations, and she thinks along in how the research infrastructure at the university can be adapted to encourage and safeguard proper adoption of Open Science practices.

Key publications

  1. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Huisman, M., Graf, D., & Salmivalli, C. (in press). Do targeted interventions diminish victimization? Testing the short- and longer-term effectiveness of condemning, empathy-raising, and combined approaches. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. doi: 10.1007/s10964-025-02173-0
  2. Garandeau, C. G., Malamut, S., Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Salmivalli (in press). Does the classroom context moderate the effects of internalizing problems and peer status on peer victimization? Testing a vulnerability-by-context model. International Journal of Behavioral Development.
  3. Chen, X., Zhang, L., Laninga-Wijnen, L., Liang, W., Zhang, Y. (2025). Longitudinal associations of depressive symptoms in father-mother-child triads: A cross-lagged panel network analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 373, 107-115.
  4. Graf, D., Yanagida, T., Laninga-Wijnen, L., Garandeau, C. F., & Salmivalli (in press). A healthy context, a just context? The role of classroom-level victimization in the adverse effects of bullying victimization on students’ belief in a just world. Journal of School Psychology.
  5. Salmivalli, C., Graf, D., & Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2025). Ecological momentary assessment of targeted interventions addressing bullying: What are the benefits? In P. Smith, S. Limber, V. Artinopoulou, & K. Breivik (Eds.), School bullying and the legacy of Dan Olweus.
  6. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Yanagida, T., Garandeau, C. F. (registered report, in principal acceptance). Does defending help? The role of peer defending in reducing victimization and enhancing victims’ psychological adjustment. Developmental Psychology.
  7. Lorijn, S. J., Laninga‐Wijnen, L., & Ryan, A. M. (2024). How peer status and ability track shape behavioral disengagement over the transition from primary to secondary school. Journal of Research on Adolescence, doi: 10.1111/jora.13006
  8. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Pouwels, L., Giletta, M., & Salmivalli (2024). Feeling better now?! The impact of being defended on victims’ daily mood and causal attributions. British Journal of Educational Psychology, doi: 10.1111/bjep.12717
  9. Chavez, D., Palacios, D., Laninga-Wijnen, L., Garandeau, C. F., Salmivalli, C., Berger, C., & Luengo, B. (2024). Do adolescents adopt the prosocial behaviors of the classmates they like? A social network analysis on prosocial contagion. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10964-024-02037-z
  10. Lorijn, S. Zwier, D., Laninga-Wijnen, L., Huisman, M., & Veenstra, R. (2024). A new school, a fresh start? Change and stability in peer relationships and academic performance in the transition from primary to secondary school. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. doi: 10.1007/s10964-024-01991-y
  11. Qin, X., Laninga-Wijnen, L.,Steglich, C., Zhang, Y., Ren, P., & Veenstra, R. (2024). Parents on the sidelines: The role of parental directing in Chinese adolescents’ friendship dynamics related to academic achievement, aggression, and prosocial behavior. The Journal of Early Adolescence. doi: 1177/02724316241244419.
  12. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Yanagida, T., Garandeau, C. F., Malamut, S., Veenstra, D. R., & Salmivalli, C. (2024). Is there really a healthy context paradox for victims of bullying? A longitudinal test for bidirectional within- and between-person associations between victimization and psychological problems. Development and Psychopathology, 1-15. advance online publication. doi: 10.1017/S0954579423001384
  13. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Garandeau, C. G., Malamut, S. T., & Salmivalli, C. (2024). The role of defending norms in victims’ psychological adjustment, causal attributions, and social comparisons. Developmental Psychology, 60, 522-444. doi: 1037/dev0001629
  14. Qin, X., Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Ren, P., Zhang, Y., & Veenstra, R. (2023). Does having vulnerable friends help vulnerable youth? The co-evolution of friendships, victimization, and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents' social networks. Child Development, 94, 1531-1549. doi: 10.1111/cdev.13945
  15. Lorijn, S. J., Laninga-Wijnen,, Engels, M. C., Lodder, G. M., & Veenstra, R. (2023). The development of adolescents’ loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of peer status and contact with friends. Plos one, 18(5), e0286085. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286085
  16. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Malamut, S. T., Garandeau, C. F., & Salmivalli, C. (2023). Does defending affect adolescents' peer status, or vice versa? Testing the moderating effects of empathy, gender, and anti-bullying norms. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 33, 913-930. doi: 10.1111/jora.12847
  17. Veenstra, R., Bertogna, T., & Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2023). The growth of longitudinal social network analysis: A review of the key datasets and topics in research on child and adolescent development. In M. Feinberg (Ed.), Teen friendship, networks, development, and risky behavior. Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780197602317.003.0014
  18. Wang, Z., Laninga-Wijnen, L., Garandeau, C. G., Chen, X., & Chen, X. (2023). Development and validation of the adolescent defending behaviors questionnaire among Chinese early adolescents. Assessment, 30, 2258-2275. doi: 10.1177/10731911221149082
  19. Kaufman, T. M. L., Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Lodder, G. (2022). Are victims of bullying primarily social outcasts? Person-group dissimilarities in relational, socio-emotional, and physical characteristics as predictors of victimization. Child Development, 93, 1458-1474. doi: 10.1111/cdev.13772
  20. Veenstra, R. & Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2022). Peer network studies and interventions in adolescence. Current Opinions in Psychology, 44, 157-163. doi: 1016/j.copsyc.2021.09.015
  21. Garandeau, C. F., Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Salmivalli, C. (2022). Effects of the KiVa anti-bullying program on affective and cognitive empathy in children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 51, 515-529. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2020.1846541
  22. Salmivalli, C., Laninga-Wijnen, L., Malamut, S. T., & Garandeau, C. F. (2021). Bullying prevention in adolescence: Solutions and new challenges from the past decade. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 31, 1023-1046. doi: 10.1111/jora.12688
  23. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Van den Berg, Y., Garandeau, C. G., Mulder, S., & Orobio de Castro, B. (2021). Does being defended relate to decreases in victimization and improved psychosocial adjustment among victims? Journal of Educational Psychology, 115, 363-377. doi: 10.1037/edu0000712
  24. Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Veenstra, R. (2021). Peer similarity in adolescent social networks: Types of selection, influence, and factors contribution to openness to peer influence. In B. Halpern-Felsher (ed.) The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Health.
  25. Veenstra, R., & Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2021). The prominence of peer interactions, relationships, and networks. In L. Crockett, G. Carlo, & J. Schulenberg (Eds.), Handbook of Adolescent and Young Adult Development. American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/0000298-014
  26. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Van den Berg, Y. H. M., Mainhard, T., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2021). The role of aggressive peer norms in elementary school children’s perceptions of classroom peer climate and school adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50, 1582-1600. doi: 10.1007/s10964-021-01432-0
  27. Peeters, M., Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Veenstra, R. (2021). Differences in adolescents’ alcohol use and smoking behavior between educational tracks: do popularity norms matter? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50, 1884-1895. doi: 10.1007/s10964-021-01467-3
  28. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Van den Berg, Y. H. M., Mainhard, T., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2021). The role of defending norms in victims’ classroom climate perceptions and psychosocial maladjustment in secondary school. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 49, 169-184. doi: 10.1007/s10802-020-00738-0
  29. McKellar, S., E., Ryan, A., North, E. A., Rausch, N. R., & Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2021). Teachers' emphasis on mastery goals moderates the behavioral correlates of popularity in early adolescent classrooms. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 2, 203-235. doi: 10.13110/merrpalmquar1982.67.2.0203
  30. Qin, X., Kaufman, T. M. L., Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Yunyun, C., & Chen, X. (2021). The impact of academic achievement and parental practices on depressive symptom trajectories among Chinese adolescents. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 49, 1359-1371. doi: 10.1007/s10802-021-00826-9
  31. De Vries, E., Kaufman, T. M. L., Veenstra, R., Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Huitsing, G. (2021). Bullying and victimization trajectories after the school transition to secondary education: Implications for status and affection. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50 1995-2006. doi: 10.1007/s10964-020-01385-w
  32. Stevens, G., Veldkamp, C., Harakeh, Z., & Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2020). Associations between ethnic minority status and popularity in adolescence: the role of ethnic classroom composition and aggression. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49, 605-617. doi: 10.1007/s10964-020-01200-6
  33. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Dijkstra, J. K., Veenstra, R., & Vollebergh, W. A. M. (2020). Who sets the aggressive popularity norm? It’s the number and strength of aggressive, prosocial and bi-strategic adolescents in classrooms. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 48, 13-27. doi: 10.1007/s10802-019-00571-0
  34. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Steglich, C. E. G., Harakeh, Z., Veenstra, R., Vollebergh, W. A. M. Dijkstra, J. K. (2020). The role of prosocial and aggressive popularity norm combinations in prosocial and aggressive friendship processes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49, 645-663. doi: 10.1007/s10964-019-01088-x
  35. Nijhof, K. S., Laninga-Wijnen, Konijn, C., L., Van Domburgh, L., Popma, A., & Mulder, E. (2020). Small groups in youth care: an exploratory study. Kind en Adolescent Praktijk, 41, 187-204. doi: 10.1007/s12453-020-00236-6
  36. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Garandeau, C. F., Dijkstra, J. K., Veenstra, R., & Vollebergh, W. A. M. (2019). Classroom popularity hierarchy predicts prosocial and aggressive popularity norms across the school year. Child Development, 90, e637-e635. doi: 10.1111/cdev.13228
  37. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Gremmen, M. C., Dijkstra, J. K., Veenstra, R., Vollebergh, W. A. M., & Harakeh, Z. (2018). The role of academic status norms in friendship selection and influence processes related to academic achievement. Developmental Psychology, 2, 337-350. doi: 10.1037/dev0000611
  38. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Ryan, A. M., Harakeh, Z., Shin, H., & Vollebergh, W. A. M. (2018). The moderating role of popular peers’ achievement goals in 5th- and 6th-graders’ achievement-related friendships: A social network analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110, 289-307. doi: 10.1037/edu0000210
  39. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Dijkstra, J. K., Veenstra, R., & Vollebergh, W. A. M. (2018). Aggressive and prosocial peer norms: Change, stability and associations with adolescent aggressive and prosocial behavior development. Journal of Early Adolescence, 38, 178-203. doi: 10.1177/0272431616665211
  40. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Steglich, C. E. G., Dijkstra, J. K., Veenstra, R., & Vollebergh, W. A. M. (2017). The norms of popular peers moderate friendship dynamics of adolescent aggression. Child Development, 88, 1265 – 1283. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12650
  41. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Steglich, C. E. G., Dijkstra, J. K., Veenstra, R., & Vollebergh, W. A. M. (2017). Populaire jongeren zetten een norm voor vriendschappen en agressie in de klas. Kind & Adolescent, 38, 212-232.
  42. Busch, V., Laninga-Wijnen L., Schrijvers A. J. P., De Leeuw J. R. J. (2015). Associations of health behaviors, school performance and psychosocial problems in adolescents in The Netherlands. Health Promotion International, 32, 280-291. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dav058.2015
  43. Busch, V., Laninga-Wijnen, L., van Yperen, T. A., Schrijvers, A. J. P., & De Leeuw, J. R. J. (2015). Bidirectional longitudinal associations of perpetration and victimization of peer bullying with psychosocial problems in adolescents: A cross-lagged panel study. School Psychology International, 36, 532–549. doi: 10.1177/0143034315604018
  44. Branje, S., Laninga-Wijnen, L., Rongqin, Y., & Meeus, W. (2014). Associations among school and friendship identity in adolescence and romantic relationships and work in emerging adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 2, 6-16. doi: 10.1177/2167696813515851

Invited lectures and workshops

1. Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Veenstra, R. (2022). Pre-conference on peer relationships. ISSBD Conference, Rhodes, Greece.

2. Yanagida, T., & Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2022). The 31st International Workshop of the Japan Society of Developmental Psychology. 3-day workshop on statistical modelling in R and scientific writing. Osaka, Japan.

3. Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2022). Challenges in Bullying Research and Interventions. University of Potsdam, Germany.

Conference Proceedings

  1. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Garandeau, C. F., & Salmivalli, C. (2024). Which Victimized Youth are Defended by their Peers? In Laninga-Wijnen (chair) Intervening in Victimization by Teachers and Peers: Who Benefits and Who Does Not? Symposium presented at the ISSBD Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.
  2. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Pouwels., L., Giletta, M., & Salmivalli (2024). Feeling Better Now?! The Role of Being Defended in the Daily Mood of Victims of Bullying. In Laninga-Wijnen (chair) Peer Victimization and Psychological Adjustment: Zooming in and Zooming out. Symposium presented at the ISSBD Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.
  3. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Huisman, J. M. E., Graf, D., & Salmivalli, C. (2024). Do Targeted Interventions Stop Victimization? Comparing the Short- and Long-term Effectiveness of a Confronting, Non-Confronting & Combined Approach. In Laninga-Wijnen (chair) Intervening in Victimization by Teachers and Peers: Who Benefits and Who Does Not? Symposium presented at the ISSBD Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.
  4. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Yanagida, T., Garandeau, C. F., Malamut, S., Veenstra, R., & Salmivalli (2023) Do Classroom-levels of Victimization Moderate Bidirectional Within- and Between-Person Links Between Victimization and Psychosocial Maladjustment? Presentation at the ISSBD conference, University of Turku, Finland
  5. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Yanagida, T., Garandeau, C. F., Malamut, S., Veenstra, R., & Salmivalli (2023) Do Classroom-levels of Victimization Moderate Bidirectional Within- and Between-Person Links Between Victimization and Psychosocial Maladjustment? Presentation at the SRA conference in San Diego.
  6. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Bloemberg, R., & Veenstra, R. (2022). The ”SterkWerk Intervention”: Targeting Popular Bullies. In Laninga-Wijnen (chair) The combat against bullying: Turning failures of interventions into successes. Symposium presented at the ISSBD Conference, Rhodes, Greece.
  7. Qin, X., Laninga-Wijnen, L., Steglich, C. E. G., Ren, P., Zhang, Y., & Veenstra, R. (2022). The role of parents in adolescent friendship selection and influence processes related to academic achievement. Presentation at the ISSBD Conference, Rhodes, Greece.
  8. Qin, X., Laninga-Wijnen, L., Ren, P., Zhang, Y., & Veenstra, R. (2022). Does it help or hurt to have vulnerable friends? The co-evolution of friendships, victimization, and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents’ social networks. Presentation at EARA conference, Dublin.
  9. Laninga-Wijnen, L. & Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2021). Preliminary statistics of real-life targeted interventions during a school year. Presentation at the Workshop on Aggression, University of Turku, Finland.
  10. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Malamut, S., Garandeau, C. F., & Salmivalli, C. (2021). Bi-directional associations between defending behavior and status in adolescence: testing individual-level and classroom-level moderators. Presentation at the Workshop on Aggression, University of Turku, Finland.
  11. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Garandeau, C. G., Malamut, S. T., & Salmivalli, C. (2022). The role of defending norms in victims’ psychological adjustment and cognitions. Presentation at PRO-meeting, Nijmegen.
  12. Garandeau, C. F., Laninga-Wijnen, L., & Salmivalli, C. (2020, September). Effects of the KiVa anti-bullying program on empathy: Are bullies as responsive as others? In Marije van Meegen (Chair). Adolescents’ social world: what factors may facilitate adolescents’ empathic and prosocial tendencies in different contexts? Symposium presented at the EARA meeting, online [due to covid].
  13. Laninga-Wijnen, L., van den Berg, Y. H. M., Mainhard, T., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2020, September). Aggressive peer norms relate to victimized students’ perception of classroom peer climate and school adjustment. In Claire F. Garandeau (Chair). Helping victims of school bullying. Symposium presented at the EARA meeting, online [due to covid].
  14. Laninga-Wijnen, L. (2020, September). Invited presentation. Popular peers matter! The role of peer networks and norms in adolescent development. Symposium presented at the EARA meeting, online [due to covid].
  15. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Garandeau, C. F., Dijkstra, J. K., & Veenstra, R. (2019, September). Classroom popularity hierarchy predicts prosocial and aggressive popularity norms across the school year. In L. Laninga-Wijnen (Chair), What does it take to stop school bullying? The complex interplay between individual, dyadic, and contextual factors in understanding prosocial and antisocial behavior of youth. Symposium presented at the Biennial Meeting of the European Society for Developmental Psychology, Athens, Greece.
  16. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Dijkstra, J. K., & Veenstra, R. (2019, September). Who sets the aggressive popularity norm in classrooms? It’s the number and strength of aggressive, prosocial, and bi-strategic adolescents. In I. Skoczen (Chair), The role of peer relations in adolescent development. Symposium presented at the Biennial Meeting of the European Society for Developmental Psychology, Athens, Greece.
  17. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Steglich, C. E. G., Harakeh, Z., Vollebergh, W. A. M., Veenstra, R., & Dijkstra, J. K. (2018, April). The norms of popular peers strengthen the co-evolution of friendships and aggressive and prosocial behavior in the classroom. In J. K. Dijkstra (Chair), Peer norms matter for aggressive and prosocial behavior. Symposium presented at the SRA Biennial Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U. S. A.
  18. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Gremmen, M., Vollebergh, W. A. M., Veenstra, R., & Dijkstra, J. K., & Harakeh, Z., (2018, April). The Role of Academic Norm Salience in Friendship Selection and Influence related to Academic Achievement: The SNARE study. Poster presented at the SRA Biennial Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U. S. A.
  19. McKellar, S., Ryan, A., North, E., Brass, N., & Laninga-Wijnen, L (2018, April). Teachers’ Emphasis of Mastery Goals Moderates the Behavioral Correlates of Popularity in Early Adolescent Classrooms. Poster presented at the SRA Biennial Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U. S. A.
  20. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Gremmen, M., Dijkstra, J. K., Veenstra, R., Vollebergh, W. A. M., & Harakeh, Z. (April, 2017). The role of status norms and rejection norms in friendship dynamics related to adolescent achievement. In L. Laninga-Wijnen (Chair), What do the popular ones do? Implications for peer relations and adolescent academic performance. Symposium presented at the SRCD Biennial Meeting in Texas, Austin, U. S. A.
  21. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Steglich, C. E. G., Dijkstra, J. K.,Veenstra, R., & Vollebergh, W. A. M. (2016, September). The norms of popular peers moderate friendship dynamics of adolescent aggression. In H. Hadiwijna (Chair), As our lives change, come whatever, will we still be friends forever? Symposium presented at the EARA meeting, Spain
  22. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Dijkstra, J. K.,Veenstra, R., & Vollebergh, W. A. M. (2015, March). Antisocial and prosocial peer norms: Emergence, stability, and impact on adolescent individual development. In J. A. Rambaran (Chair). Follow the leader(s)?! Peer influence on the development of behavior and friendships in in the school context. Symposium presented at the SRCD Biennial Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U. S. A.
  23. Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Dijkstra, J. K.,Veenstra, R., & Vollebergh, W. A. M. (2014, June). The influence of peer norms on individual prosocial and antisocial behavior development. Individual presentation at the Prague Presents Psychology meeting. Czech, Prague.