We study child psychosocial development, and the causes, consequences and prevention of violence. Our research investigates a range of biological, psychological and social influences in large longitudinal and experimental studies. Mostly our work is based on four birth cohort studies following the lives of 20,000 children and families in southern Brazil. We use interviews, observational assessments, record linkage, and biological samples to discover what promotes healthy versus maladaptive development and violence through the life-course.
Masters, PhD and Postdoc students are welcome to apply to join the Centre, and we welcome visiting researchers from other institutions.
We work with the Pelotas Birth Cohort studies in Brazil, which are some of the largest and longest-running longitudinal studies in the Global South.
The Human Development and Violence Research Centre (DOVE), affiliated with the Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology at the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), has been officially designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Evidence-Based Violence Prevention Across the Life Course.
