Dr Frédéric Thériault-Couture obtained his clinical PhD in psychology, with a specialisation in neuropsychology, from the Université Laval in Canada. His thesis focused on the interplay between the development of executive functions, language, and social-emotional problems during early childhood. In parallel to his research, he completed clinical training in the assessment and intervention of mental health conditions and cognitive deficits in children, adolescents and adults.

He first visited the Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre at King's College London in 2022 as a PhD research intern under the supervision of Professor Louise Arseneault, where he examined cognitive risk factors associated with the development of bullying behaviours and conduct problems in childhood.

During his graduate studies, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Student Scientific Journal of the School of Psychology at Université Laval and developed expertise in advanced longitudinal statistical methods, including multilevel growth curve modeling, group-based trajectory modeling, structural equation modeling and cross-lagged panel models.

In 2024, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC) to continue his research with Professor Arseneault. His current work focuses on antisocial behavior and mental health problems from childhood to adulthood.

Research interests

• Development course and intergenerational transmission of antisocial behavior
• Cognitive and social-emotional development during early childhood
• Interplay between cognitive functioning and mental health in youth
• Early risk and protective factors, and mechanisms underlying mental health problems in children and adolescents
• Developmental psychopathology
• Longitudinal research methods 

Key publications

• Trajectories of childhood bullying behaviors and conduct problems: Associations with cognitive functioning in a nationally-representative cohort study (2024).
• Executive functions and social-emotional problems in toddlerhood: Nature, persistence, and direction of associations (2024).
• Paternal and maternal depressive symptoms and sensitivity: Links with trajectories of socioemotional problems in toddlerhood (2024).
• Psychological symptoms and parental mentalizing and child executive functions (2024).
• Child cognitive flexibility and maternal control: A first step toward untangling genetic and environmental contributions (2023).
• The impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on scientific writing and publication (2021).
• The relations between positive and negative thoughts, emotional regulation strategies, and fear of cancer recurrence (2019).