René Veenstra

Current

Associate Professor in Sociology at University of Groningen
Visiting Professor in Psychology at University of Turku
Member of Management Team TRAILS at UMCG

see less...

Past

Assistant Professor at Department of Sociology, University of Groningen
Datamanager TRAILS at Department of Social Psychiatry at UMCG

Education

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Praedinius Gymnasium

see less...

Connections

441 connections

Industry

Research

René Veenstra’s Summary

René Veenstra has been involved in TRAILS (together with researchers from the Medical Faculties of Groningen and Rotterdam) for the past five years. He has published on the relations of adolescents and their impact on problem behavior, with a focus on peer relations, parent-child relationships, bullying, social network analysis, and the development of antisocial behavior. In his research he has used novel analysis techniques such as SIENA and p2, programs developed by colleagues in Groningen. There is international interest in the application of these techniques, in particular in research on adolescents. Veenstra aims to develop his research line in two directions. First, he aims to gain better insight into processes of interactive and cumulative continuity. He is interested in vicious cycles that can occur as a result of the misfit between a person and the environment, and in path dependencies that increasingly restrict the opportunities of persons. Such dynamic processes require new theoretical and methodological solutions. Success with this first challenge will have spin-off for the second challenge: disseminating his work and developing interventions. He is involved in a promising intervention, the Finnish KiVa Koulu Anti-Bullying Intervention Program, coordinated by Christina Salmivalli. Bullying is seen as a group process in this intervention. Not only the bully and the victim, but the whole class has a role in the bullying process. Veenstra’s input in this intervention is the theoretical and empirical elaboration of a social network approach to bullying.

René Veenstra’s Specialties:

criminology, sociology, developmental psychology, goal-framing theory, methodology, quantitative research, statistics,

René Veenstra’s Experience

Associate Professor in Sociology

University of Groningen

(Educational Institution; Research industry)

2007 — Present (2 years )

Supervision of PhD students:

- Marina Bondaruk: Who bullies whom? Early risk factors for maladaptive relations among elementary school children. The Generation R Study
- Tinka Veldhuis: The effects of collective humiliation on terrorist radicalization
- Gijs Huitsing: Targeting the group? A social network perspective on bullying
- Anke Munniksma: The influence of parents on their children’s intra- and interethnic relationships
- Miia Sainio: Bullying, victimization, and defending from a dyadic perspective
- Katya Ivanova: Adolescent romantic relationships
- Tobias Stark: School policies and ethnic integration within Dutch secondary schools
- Jelle Sijtsema: Networks in and outside the school-grade: Peer influences on problem behavior
- Miranda Sentse: Does it run in the family? Dysfunctional families and problematic behavior (Thesis to be defended: March 4, 2010)
- Jan Kornelis Dijkstra: Status and affection among (pre)adolescent peers and their relation with antisocial and prosocial behavior (finished in 2007).
Visiting Professor in Psychology

University of Turku

(Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Research industry)

2007 — Present (2 years )

In Finland I work on the KiVa project for developing an anti-bullying intervention program for the Finnish comprehensive schools. The KiVa project is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education. It is co-led by PhD Christina Salmivalli (Department of Psychology), and PhD Elisa Poskiparta (Centre of Learning Research) at the University of Turku.
Member of Management Team TRAILS

UMCG

(Non-Profit; Hospital & Health Care industry)

2006 — Present (3 years )
Assistant Professor

Department of Sociology, University of Groningen

(Educational Institution; 5001-10,000 employees; Research industry)

2005 — 2007 (2 years )

Selected publications;

Veenstra, René, Lindenberg, Siegwart, Zijlstra, Bonne J.H., De Winter, Andrea F., Verhulst, Frank C., & Ormel, Johan (2007). The dyadic nature of bullying and victimization: Testing a dual perspective theory. Child Development, 78, 1843-1854.

Veenstra, René, Lindenberg, Siegwart, Oldehinkel, Albertine J., De Winter, Andrea F., & Ormel, Johan (2006). Temperament, environment, and antisocial behavior in a population sample of preadolescent boys and girls. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 30, 422-432.

Veenstra, René, Lindenberg, Siegwart, Oldehinkel, Albertine J., De Winter, Andrea F., Verhulst, Frank C., & Ormel, Johan (2005). Bullying and victimization in elementary schools: A comparison of bullies, victims, bully/victims, and uninvolved preadolescents. Developmental Psychology, 41, 672-682.
Datamanager TRAILS at Department of Social Psychiatry

UMCG

(Non-Profit; 5001-10,000 employees; Hospital & Health Care industry)

2000 — 2005 (5 years )

René Veenstra’s Education

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

PhD , Sociology , 1994 — 1999

Title of thesis: Leerlingen – Klassen – Scholen [Pupils - Classes - Schools]
Supervisors: prof. dr Jules L. Peschar and prof. dr Tom A.B. Snijders

Activities and Societies:

Visiting scholar at Department of Sociology, University of Chicago (host: Prof. Barbara Schneider)
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

MSc , Onderwijskunde [Educational Science] / Algemene Pedagogiek [Educational Theory] , 1988 — 1994

Supervisors of Educational Science thesis: Dr Greetje van der Werf and Dr Margo Jansen
Supervisors of Educational Theory thesis: Dr Gert Biesta and Dr Klaas Westerhof

Activities and Societies:

Visiting student at Tufts University, Boston, and Georgetown University, Washington DC.
Praedinius Gymnasium

1982 — 1988

Additional Information

René Veenstra’s Interests:

running (4 mile in 25.24), movies (Vera Zienema), music (3voor12), chess, draughts, soccer

René Veenstra’s Groups:

Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS), International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD), Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA), Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD).
In the Netherlands: Nederlandse Sociologische Vereniging (NSV), Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kriminologie (NVK).