About
Karlien Demol serves as a Researcher at KU Leuven within the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, specifically affiliated with the School Psychology and Development in Context unit. She concurrently holds the leadership position of Institute Coordinator for the KU Leuven Institute for Child and Youth (LC&Y), directing interdisciplinary research on developmental processes.
Her research program centers on the complex interplay between school-based bullying dynamics, teacher-student relational quality, and adolescent socioemotional outcomes. Current investigations examine identity-related bullying in primary schools through longitudinal and experimental designs, with particular focus on how teacher attributions and response patterns mediate victimization consequences. This work consistently bridges theoretical developmental frameworks with practical classroom applications.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2021-2025) reveals strong methodological diversity including person-centered analyses of teacher response typologies, cross-cultural validation studies, and multi-wave longitudinal tracking of victimization trajectories. Her scholarship demonstrates consistent emphasis on how teacher-student relationships buffer peer victimization effects while identifying critical windows for intervention during early adolescence.
Demol actively contributes to academic infrastructure as co-promoter of the 2023-2027 project 'Beyond prejudice: Research into the role of teachers in identity-related bullying in primary school' and through membership on both the Bachelor and Master Psychology Program Committees. Her LC&Y leadership role involves coordinating research teams across developmental, clinical, and educational psychology subfields to address child welfare challenges through evidence-based approaches.
