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2601 Chemin de la Canardière
Québec (Québec)
G1J 2G3
Canada
Psychologue
Professeur titulaire à l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Département des sciences infirmières
Professeur associé à la Faculté de médecine de l’Université Laval
Département de psychiatrie
Chercheur régulier, Axe Neurosciences Cliniques et Cognitives, Centre de Recherche Cervo
Chercheur régulier, Centre de recherche interdisciplinaires sur les problèmes conjugaux et les agressions sexuelles (CRIPCAS)
Chercheur régulier, Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur le développement de l’enfant et la famille (CEIDEF)
Chercheur régulier, Groupe de recherche et d’intervention auprès des enfants vulnérables et négligés (GRIN)
Axe de recherche:
Neurosciences cliniques et cognitives
Nicolas Berthelot, Ph.D. en psychologie, est professeur titulaire en santé mentale au département des sciences infirmières de l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières et pratique la psychologie clinique auprès d’adolescents et d’adultes. Il est titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en traumas développementaux.
Les travaux de recherche de son équipe se concentrent sur les traumatismes interpersonnels en enfance, notamment sous la forme de l’abus et de la négligence. Ils s’intéressent plus spécifiquement aux trajectoires développementales des jeunes victimes de maltraitance et aux mécanismes éco-neurodéveloppementaux soutenant la transmission intergénérationnelle de trajectoires de risque suite à des événements de vie traumatiques.
Ses recherches ouvrent la voie à des applications cliniques concrètes. Nicolas Berthelot collabore par ailleurs à la conception, à l’implantation et à l’évaluation d’interventions cliniques personnalisées auprès des victimes d’abus ou de négligence en enfance afin de prévenir une étendue de troubles physiques et psychologiques chez cette clientèle.
Le Dr Nicolas Berthelot est psychologue clinicien et professeur à l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Il est titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en traumas développementaux. Ses recherches portent principalement sur les mécanismes développementaux et neurobiologiques impliqués dans les trajectoires de risque et de résilience à la suite d’expériences d’abus ou de négligence. Il s’intéresse particulièrement aux impacts des traumas sur la parentalité et vise à identifier les facteurs de risque et de protection impliqués dans les trajectoires intergénérationnelles de la maltraitance infantile. Il s’intéresse également au rôle des traumas dans le développement de troubles psychiatriques majeurs tels que la schizophrénie, les trouble bipolaires et la dépression majeure récidivante. Son programme se situe à la jonction de la recherche fondamentale et de la recherche appliquée. Il a récemment développé le programme STEP (Soutenir la Transition et l’Engagement dans la Parentalité), l’une des toutes premières interventions prénatales pour les femmes enceintes ayant subi des traumas dans leur enfance. Ce programme vise à soutenir l’adaptation des parents qui ont vécu des expériences de vie difficiles, à favoriser le développement de leurs enfants et à éviter la répétition des mauvais traitements à travers les générations. Il a également développé le concept de « Mentalisation du trauma », lequel a grandement contribué à notre compréhension de l’adaptation et la résilience à la suite de traumas et de l’immence variabilité interindividuelle dans le fonctionnement à la suite de traumas.
– Chaire de recherche du Canada de niveau II (2020)
– Chercheur-boursier Junior 1 des Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (2021)
– Collège de nouveaux chercheurs et créateurs en art et en sciences de la Société Royale du Canada (2022)
– Article of the Year Award – International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (2024)
– Prix Publication en français Alice-Girard (2025)
– Finaliste Prix relève scientifique des Prix du Québec (2022, 2023)
– Canadian Psychological Association Traumatic Stress Section Award for Early Career (2021)
– Bourse Yvon Gauthier de l’Association Québécoise pour la Santé Mentale des Nourrissons (2021)
– Prix Relève Scientifique de l’UQTR – volet sciences naturelles, génie, et sciences de la santé (2019)
– Prix d’excellence de la relève du Réseau des Universités du Québec – volet sciences humaines et sociales, arts et lettres (2018)
Jinny Poirier-Plante; Nicolas Berthelot
Dans: Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 2024, ISSN: 1879-2669.
@article{Poirier-Plante2024e,
title = {Association entre les effets du cannabis sur les symptômes psychologiques des parents et leurs perceptions quant aux répercussions de l’usage de cannabis sur leur parentalité.},
author = {Jinny Poirier-Plante and Nicolas Berthelot},
doi = {10.1037/cbs0000435},
issn = {1879-2669},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-12-19},
journal = {Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement},
publisher = {American Psychological Association (APA)},
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Kristel Mayrand; Tristan Milot; John Briere; Natacha Godbout; Sébastien Oliva-Veilleux; Nicolas Berthelot
Dans: Child Abuse Negl, vol. 156, p. 107017, 2024, ISSN: 1873-7757.
@article{pmid39241308,
title = {Using the DRS-8 to measure unresolved/disorganized attachment: Associations with states of mind on the adult attachment interview, psychopathology, and offspring social-emotional development},
author = {Kristel Mayrand and Tristan Milot and John Briere and Natacha Godbout and Sébastien Oliva-Veilleux and Nicolas Berthelot},
doi = {10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107017},
issn = {1873-7757},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-10-01},
journal = {Child Abuse Negl},
volume = {156},
pages = {107017},
abstract = {BACKGROUND: Unresolved/disorganized (U/d) attachment states of mind are associated with poor outcomes across numerous domains of functioning. However, the validity of existing self-report instruments measuring this construct remains questionable.nnOBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to validate the DRS-8, an alternative version of the Disorganized Response Scale (DRS), by assessing its construct validity, internal consistency, and criterion validity with the U/d attachment scales on the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI).nnPARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Date were collected from 222 expectant parents (78 % women) at T1 and from 67 of them at 12 months postpartum (T2).nnMETHODS: Participants completed the DRS-8 and questionnaires assessing childhood trauma, romantic attachment, and psychological symptoms during pregnancy (T1). Seventy-four of them participated in the AAI at T1. At T2, parents completed a questionnaire assessing their infants' social-emotional development.nnRESULTS: The DRS-8 has two highly correlated dimensions, i.e., lapses in the monitoring of reasoning (four items) and discourse (four items). A confirmatory factor analysis supported a bifactor structure of the instrument, showing good fit indices and internal consistency (ω = 0.87). The DRS-8 was significantly correlated with U/d states of mind on the AAI, r(72) = 0.28, p = .016, and demonstrated excellent construct validity. Significant indirect effects of the DRS-8 were found in the associations between childhood trauma and psychological symptoms, and between parental trauma and infant social-emotional development.nnCONCLUSIONS: The DRS-8 appears to be a promising self-report measure of U/d states of mind showing criterion validity with the AAI.},
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Nicolas Berthelot; Julia Garon-Bissonnette
Characterizing the heterogeneity of disruptions in the resolution of trauma among women exposed to childhood maltreatment Article de journal
Dans: Dev Psychopathol, p. 1–14, 2024, ISSN: 1469-2198.
@article{Berthelot2024,
title = {Characterizing the heterogeneity of disruptions in the resolution of trauma among women exposed to childhood maltreatment},
author = {Nicolas Berthelot and Julia Garon-Bissonnette},
doi = {10.1017/s0954579424001019},
issn = {1469-2198},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-09-18},
journal = {Dev Psychopathol},
pages = {1--14},
publisher = {Cambridge University Press (CUP)},
abstract = {Abstract
The previously observed heterogeneity in developmental and intergenerational trajectories of childhood trauma may root from interindividual differences in the way trauma-exposed individuals have resolved these experiences. The current study explored whether distinctive patterns of impaired mentalization in relation to trauma could be identified in a sample of 825 pregnant women who experienced childhood maltreatment and whether these heterogeneous patterns were marked by significant differences in internalized and externalized problems during pregnancy, intimate partner violence, personality dysfunctions, and antenatal attachment. A latent profile analysis applied to the seven subscales of the Failure to Mentalize Trauma Questionnaire unraveled interindividual variability in mentalizing impairments among pregnant women exposed to childhood maltreatment by identifying five distinctive types of psychological responses to trauma, each being associated in cross-sectional analyses with a specific set of symptoms and dysfunctions. Overall, the study highlights the need for tailored interventions based on the individuals’ specific impairments in mentalizing trauma and calls for future developmental research exploring the longitudinal correlates of the five documented profiles of trauma processing. },
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Nicolas Berthelot; Julia Garon-Bissonnette; Maria Muzik; Valerie Simon; Rena Menke; Ann Michele Stacks; Katherine Lisa Rosenblum
Resolving trauma: The unique contribution of trauma-specific mentalization to maternal insightfulness Article de journal
Dans: Dev Psychopathol, p. 1–14, 2024, ISSN: 1469-2198.
@article{pmid39328183,
title = {Resolving trauma: The unique contribution of trauma-specific mentalization to maternal insightfulness},
author = {Nicolas Berthelot and Julia Garon-Bissonnette and Maria Muzik and Valerie Simon and Rena Menke and Ann Michele Stacks and Katherine Lisa Rosenblum},
doi = {10.1017/S095457942400110X},
issn = {1469-2198},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-09-01},
journal = {Dev Psychopathol},
pages = {1--14},
abstract = {Resolving trauma may contribute to mental health and parenting in mother with histories of childhood maltreatment. The concept of trauma-specific reflective functioning (T-RF) was developed to assess the complexity of thought processes regarding trauma. The study aimed to validate the T-RF scale applied to the Trauma Meaning-Making Interview by examining its psychometric properties, associations with measures of trauma-processing strategies, maternal reflective functioning and mental health (depression and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), as well as evaluating whether T-RF offered a unique contribution to maternal insightfulness. Good construct validity of the T-RF scale was confirmed in a sample of 112 mothers with histories of childhood maltreatment using an independent coding system of trauma-processing. Better mentalization of trauma was prospectively associated with higher parental reflective functioning and mothers with high T-RF were much more likely to be insightful regarding the child's mental states than non-reflective mothers and mothers with limited T-RF. The association between T-RF and insightfulness was observed even when controlling for maternal reflective functioning, trauma-processing strategies, maternal education and sociodemographic risk. T-RF was associated neither with depression, PTSD nor the characteristics of trauma. Findings suggest that mentalizing trauma would be an important protective factor in the intergenerational trajectories of trauma.},
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pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Justine Tremblay; Anne-Marie Leclerc; Roxanne Lemieux; Jessica Cleary; Eden Weizineau; Nicolas Berthelot
Expérience de la grossesse et des soins périnataux chez les femmes des Premières Nations en milieu urbain Article de journal
Dans: Sc Nurs Health Pract, 2024, ISSN: 2561-7516.
@article{Tremblay2024d,
title = {Expérience de la grossesse et des soins périnataux chez les femmes des Premières Nations en milieu urbain},
author = {Justine Tremblay and Anne-Marie Leclerc and Roxanne Lemieux and Jessica Cleary and Eden Weizineau and Nicolas Berthelot},
doi = {10.62212/snahp-sips.111},
issn = {2561-7516},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-07-03},
journal = {Sc Nurs Health Pract},
publisher = {Université de Montréal libraries},
abstract = {Introduction : Pendant leur grossesse, plusieurs femmes des Premières Nations doivent transiter en milieu urbain pour obtenir des soins périnataux. Les enjeux d’accessibilité et la présence de certains facteurs de risque (ex., diabète gestationnel) sont omniprésents. Or, la méfiance qu’elles entretiennent face aux soins de santé et aux services sociaux pourrait contribuer à accroître leur vulnérabilité lors de cette période.
Objectifs : Décrire l’expérience périnatale de femmes des Premières Nations, leur appréciation des soins périnataux reçus et la façon dont elles aimeraient être accompagnées par les professionnel·les de la santé.
Méthode : Une étude phénoménologique descriptive a été menée auprès de 10 femmes des Premières Nations transitant en milieu urbain. Des entretiens individuels ont été analysés selon la méthode de Giorgi (1997).
Résultats : Pour les participantes, la grossesse se révèle être une expérience positive et holistique, où toutes les dimensions de la santé sont influencées (physique, psychologique, émotionnel et spirituel). En ce qui a trait aux soins, le lien de confiance est primordial. Or, la majorité d’entre elles rapportent des expériences négatives lors des soins périnataux (ex., réactivation des traumas). Finalement, les participantes ont indiqué souhaiter obtenir plus d’information et bénéficier d’un accompagnement inclusif de leur culture lors de la période périnatale.
Discussion et conclusion : Pour les participantes, la maternité leur a donné l’occasion de prouver leur résilience. L’utilisation de leviers positifs favorise le mieux-être des femmes des Premières Nations. Il importe d’inclure les réalités et particularités culturelles de celles-ci dans les approches de soins dispensées par les professionnel·les de la santé lors de cette période de transition importante. },
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Karl Larouche; Julia Garon-Bissonnette; Roxane Lemieux; Carl Lacharité; Nicolas Berthelot
Pathway from Childhood Maltreatment to Perceived Parental Competence and Intimate Partner Violence Among Expecting Fathers: The Role of PTSD Symptoms Article de journal
Dans: Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, vol. 33, no 7, p. 864–881, 2024, ISSN: 1545-083X.
@article{Larouche2024,
title = {Pathway from Childhood Maltreatment to Perceived Parental Competence and Intimate Partner Violence Among Expecting Fathers: The Role of PTSD Symptoms},
author = {Karl Larouche and Julia Garon-Bissonnette and Roxane Lemieux and Carl Lacharité and Nicolas Berthelot},
doi = {10.1080/10926771.2024.2338167},
issn = {1545-083X},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-07-02},
journal = {Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma},
volume = {33},
number = {7},
pages = {864--881},
publisher = {Informa UK Limited},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Nicolas Berthelot; Karl Larouche; Julia Garon-Bissonnette; Kim Deschênes; Christine Drouin-Maziade; Roxanne Lemieux
Spillover effects on the relationship with the partner of a mentalization-based intervention for pregnant women Article de journal
Dans: Infant Ment Health J, vol. 45, no 4, p. 369–381, 2024, ISSN: 1097-0355.
@article{pmid38598747,
title = {Spillover effects on the relationship with the partner of a mentalization-based intervention for pregnant women},
author = {Nicolas Berthelot and Karl Larouche and Julia Garon-Bissonnette and Kim Deschênes and Christine Drouin-Maziade and Roxanne Lemieux},
doi = {10.1002/imhj.22113},
issn = {1097-0355},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-07-01},
journal = {Infant Ment Health J},
volume = {45},
number = {4},
pages = {369--381},
abstract = {The birth of a child has been associated with a decline in couple satisfaction, which has implications for the child's social-emotional development. This study investigated the potential spillover effect on pregnant women's perceptions of their relationships with their partners of the Supporting the Transition to and Engagement in Parenthood (STEP) program, a brief trauma-informed mentalization-based prenatal group intervention. Participants (94% White) were recruited in prenatal clinics and through online advertisements in Quebec, Canada. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from participants assigned to the STEP program (n = 42) and those receiving treatment-as-usual (TAU; n = 125). Women participating in STEP reported significant improvements in their relationships with their partners compared to those assigned to TAU. More precisely, they reported higher couple satisfaction, enhanced communication, and increased interest in their partners' emotional experience. The qualitative analysis further substantiated these results, with participants reporting having involved their partners in their pregnancy, shared their insights about themselves with their partners and gained fresh perspectives on their relationships. Participants in STEP also expressed sharing program materials with their partners and considered that such interventions should be extended to expecting fathers. This study underscores the potential of mentalization-based interventions to indirectly contribute to couple relationships, which may have positive implications for parenting and the infant.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Jasmin Ricard; Nicolas Berthelot; Énora Fortin-Fabbro; Marie-Claude Boisvert; Julia Garon-Bissonnette; Eric Arsenault; Alexandre Bureau; Michel Maziade
Childhood trauma and altered response of retinal neurons as an early risk endophenotype of schizophrenia and mood disorder Article de journal
Dans: Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatry, vol. 10, 2024, ISSN: 2666-1446.
@article{Ricard2024d,
title = {Childhood trauma and altered response of retinal neurons as an early risk endophenotype of schizophrenia and mood disorder},
author = {Jasmin Ricard and Nicolas Berthelot and Énora Fortin-Fabbro and Marie-Claude Boisvert and Julia Garon-Bissonnette and Eric Arsenault and Alexandre Bureau and Michel Maziade},
doi = {10.1016/j.bionps.2024.100095},
issn = {2666-1446},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-06-01},
journal = {Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatry},
volume = {10},
publisher = {Elsevier BV},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Alexandre Bureau; Nicolas Berthelot; Jasmin Ricard; Camille Lafrance; Valérie Jomphe; Abdoulaye Dioni; Énora Fortin-Fabbro; Marie-Claude Boisvert; Michel Maziade
Dans: Bipolar Disord, vol. 26, no 3, p. 265–276, 2024, ISSN: 1399-5618.
@article{pmid37957788,
title = {Heterogeneity in the longitudinal courses of global functioning in children at familial risk of major psychiatric disorders: Association with trauma and familial characteristics},
author = {Alexandre Bureau and Nicolas Berthelot and Jasmin Ricard and Camille Lafrance and Valérie Jomphe and Abdoulaye Dioni and Énora Fortin-Fabbro and Marie-Claude Boisvert and Michel Maziade},
doi = {10.1111/bdi.13386},
issn = {1399-5618},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-05-01},
journal = {Bipolar Disord},
volume = {26},
number = {3},
pages = {265--276},
abstract = {OBJECTIVES: The extent to which heterogeneity in childhood risk trajectories may underlie later heterogeneity in schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BP), and major depressive disorder (MDD) remains a chief question. Answers may optimally be found by studying the longitudinal trajectories of children born to an affected parent. We aimed to differentiate trajectories of global functioning and their sensitive periods from the age of 6 to 17 years in children at familial risk (FHRs).nnMETHODS: First, a latent class mixed model analysis (LCMM) was applied to yearly ratings of the Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) from the age of 6 to 17 years in 170 FHRs born to a parent affected by DSM-IV SZ (N = 37), BP (N = 82) or MDD (N = 51). Then, we compared the obtained Classes or trajectories of FHRs in terms of sex, parental diagnosis, IQ, child clinical status, childhood trauma, polygenic risk score (PRS), and outcome in transition to illness.nnRESULTS: The LCMM on yearly CGAS trajectories identified a 4-class solution showing markedly different childhood and adolescence dynamic courses and temporal vulnerability windows marked by a functioning decline and a degree of specificity in parental diagnosis. Moreover, IQ, trauma exposure, PRS level, and timing of later transition to illness differentiated the trajectories. Almost half (46%) of the FHRs exhibited a good and stable global functioning trajectory.nnCONCLUSIONS: FHRs of major psychiatric disorders show heterogeneous functional decline during development associated with parental diagnosis, polygenic risk loading, and childhood trauma.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
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Mélissa Deschênes; Dominick Gamache; Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel; Kristel Mayrand; Marie-Chloé Nolin; Nicolas Berthelot; Coralie Mercerat; Claudia Savard
Exploring the Associations of Personality and Sexual Health Using the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders Article de journal
Dans: J Sex Marital Ther, vol. 50, no 7, p. 834–854, 2024, ISSN: 1521-0715.
@article{pmid39180222,
title = {Exploring the Associations of Personality and Sexual Health Using the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders},
author = {Mélissa Deschênes and Dominick Gamache and Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel and Kristel Mayrand and Marie-Chloé Nolin and Nicolas Berthelot and Coralie Mercerat and Claudia Savard},
doi = {10.1080/0092623X.2024.2391340},
issn = {1521-0715},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {J Sex Marital Ther},
volume = {50},
number = {7},
pages = {834--854},
abstract = {This study explored the relationships between sexual health indicators (i.e., sexual satisfaction, distress, and function) and the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders, a promising dimensional framework for assessing personality pathology. A sample of 489 participants seeking help in private practice clinics completed self-report measures of sexual satisfaction, distress, and function, as well as dyadic adjustment, psychological distress, romantic attachment, personality impairment, and pathological personality facets. Results first showed that participants reaching the cutoffs for a personality disorder had significantly higher sexual distress and lower sexual function compared to participants without a personality disorder. Second, path analyses controlling for psychological distress, dyadic adjustment, and romantic attachment revealed that, for women, the Criterion B Intimacy Avoidance facet was consistently linked with higher sexual distress and lower sexual satisfaction and function. For men, result patterns were more complex, linking Criterion B Separation Insecurity with high sexual distress, and Separation Insecurity and Intimacy Avoidance facets with low sexual function. In addition, Criterion B Irresponsibility, Rigid Perfectionism, as well as Criterion A Intimacy impairment were linked with higher sexual satisfaction. These findings improve our understanding of the links between personality and sexual health and provide support for considering personality difficulties in sexual health interventions.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
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