Ms An-Sofie Van Parys

Post-doctoral researcher

An-Sofie

An-Sofie Van Parys has a bachelor degree in midwifery, a master degree in social sciences, a master degree in family and sexuality sciences and a PhD in health sciences. After her formal education, she gained experience in working with families with a problematic background. Partly as a consequence of this working experience, she developed a special interest in mental health and interpersonal violence in the period around pregnancy and childbirth. 

On the one hand An-Sofie is currently employed as the leader of the maternal heath team and as a post-doc researcher at the International Centre for Reproductive Health at Ghent University where she is involved in several research projects on perinatal mental health, interpersonal violence and maternal health. On the other hand she works as a psychotherapist in a midwifery-practise and a hospital in Brussels where she guides women and couples struggling with psychological, relational and/or sexual challenges during the perinatal period. 
 

Projects of An-Sofie

Mother and child health Clinical care Perinatal Mental Health Screening and detection

Development and implementation of a clinical care pathway for perinatal mental health in Belgium (PMH-project)

Mental problems during the perinatal period are associated with a range of negative consequences such as preterm birth, mother-infant interactional deficits and negative infant developmental outcome. Research indicates that perinatal mental health problems are highly prevalent (20%). In Flanders however, a large majority is currently not being detected nor getting the appropriate treatment.


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Sexual health and wellbeing

Training on sexual violence for employees and partners of the Family Justice Centers and the Chain Approach to Domestic Violence


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Sexual health and wellbeing

Household survey on interpersonal violence and well-being in Brussels (VAW-study Brussels)

This project is a policy-oriented study on prevalence of physical, psychological, sexual violence, stalking and sexual harassment reported by women who live in the Brussels-Capital Region.


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence

Prevalence of violence against women in the Brussels Capital Region

Overall objective: To conduct a policy-oriented study on prevalence and characteristics of violence against women in Brussels Capital Region.


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Mother and child health

Partner violence and pregnancy, an intervention-study within perinatal care (MOM-study)

Large-scale prevalence study of physical, psychological and sexual violence one year before, during and one year after pregnancy


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Mother and child health Perinatal Mental Health

A European six country study on victimization, life events, fear of childbirth an mode of delivery (BIDENS)

The project aims to assess violence related factors that may influence pregnant women’s fear of childbirth and how this affects the mode of delivery, in order to improve antenatal care and maternity services in 6 European countries


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Gender

A European research project on domestic violence against women/men in Europe (DOVE)

The general objective of the DOVE project was to collect, describe, compare and analyse documents on policies and practices directly addressing domestic violence that are being implemented throughout the participating countries


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence

Addressing interpersonal violence in Belgian hospitals

This project aims to sensitize and train health workers in Belgian hospitals in addressing, assisting and referring patients in interpersonal violence situations adequately. However, due to budgetary restrictions, the different project pathways had to be altered offering only advanced trainings and protocol development coaching to hospitals already included in the project in the previous year (2010-2011).


Project closed
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Mother and child health Clinical care

Determinants of increased Caesarean section rate in low risk pregnancies in Belgium (CS-study)

The increase of the prevalence rate of Caesarean Sections (CS) is a worldwide phenomenon, a trend that has also been observed in Belgium.


Project closed
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Mother and child health

Violence, fear of childbirth and mode of delivery

The project aims to assess violence related factors that may influence pregnant women’s fear of childbirth and how this affects the mode of delivery, in order to improve antenatal care and maternity services.


Project closed
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Health system research Mother and child health Clinical care

Maternal Intensive Care (MIC) in Belgium

The aims of the project were threefold: 1) evaluate whether the Belgian MIC-services are being used as reference centre, 2) explore whether the financial resources where use adequately and 3) evaluate the geographical accessibility of the Belgian MIC centres


Project closed
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