Centre for Population, Family and Health - CPFH

01/10/2026

🌍Today is international day of older persons!

Global life expectancy has increased substantially over the past decades. Yet, according to the United Nations, the gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy has reached almost 10 years. This highlights why it is so important to look beyond how long we live and consider how health, social relationships and economic circumstances shape our experiences across the life course.
This day offers an opportunity to reflect not only on the important contributions of older people to our societies, but also on the opportunities and challenges that come with ageing populations.

What better way to reflect on these questions than by joining the SHARE training in Mainz! Our CPFH and CSB colleagues are proud to be part of the SHARE project (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe), which collects longitudinal data on people aged 50 and over across 28 countries. SHARE provides researchers with an opportunity to study how health, social, economic and environmental circumstances shape people's lives as they age.
From healthcare expenditure, formal and informal caregiving, and retirement plans, to physical functioning, internet use and even the potential mental health benefits of pet ownership, SHARE data help researchers explore the many different dimensions of ageing.

By bringing these perspectives together, SHARE provides valuable evidence for understanding ageing societies and informing policies that are inclusive and fit for the future.

After all, ageing with vitality and dignity is something that matters to all of us. 💛

Want to learn more about the International Day of Older Persons, SHARE, or our research group? Find out more through the links below! 👇
https://share-eric.eu/
https://www.share-project.be
https://www.un.org/en/observances/older-persons-day
https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/research-groups/centre-population-family-health/

17/09/2026

Meet Ilayda!
🎓We have a visitor this month! Ilayda has a background in psychology and sociology and studied at Utrecht University for her research master’s degree. Currently, she is completing her PhD at Tilburg University, and she has joined our group as a visiting research student.

🌍Her work focuses on social, psychological and demographic origins and consequences of (non)normative family transitions (becoming a parent/remaining childless, starting a romantic relationship/remaining single) by using longitudinal datasets (e.g., LISS Panel, German Family Panel) and advanced quantitative methods.

🙌 During her stay, she will be finalizing her work on self-esteem development among never-partnered individuals. Good luck, Ilayda!

16/09/2026

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Today is Stepfamily Day! 💛

Families don’t always come in neat, ready-made packages. Sometimes they are built — and rebuilt — over time. New partners enter the picture, children move between households, new siblings appear, and suddenly family comes with a few extra calendars, traditions, relationships… and negotiations 😉

Stepfamilies can bring warmth, connection and new people to love. But they can also be wonderfully complex. Who gets to parent whom? How do you make room for a new partner without replacing another parent? How do children navigate loyalty, belonging and changing family roles?

That complexity is exactly what makes stepfamilies so fascinating — and so important to understand.

So on Stepfamily Day, September 16, we celebrate families that don’t necessarily fit the traditional mould, but find their own ways of becoming and being a family. 💚

Here’s to the stepparents, stepchildren, stepsiblings, half-siblings, parents, ex-partners and everyone else who is part of the family puzzle. 🧩

14/09/2026

We are happy to welcome Prof. Samuel Kimani to the Centre for Population, Family and Health (CPFH) at the University of Antwerp!
Samuel is an Associate Professor at the University of Nairobi and has extensive experience in research on health and female ge***al mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), with a particular focus on its health impacts, medicalisation (FGM/C performed by healthcare workers), and health system responses/strenghtening.

During his research stay with us, we are looking forward to discussing ongoing research and strengthening collaboration and partnership between researchers working on FGM/C and reproductive health across Kenya and Belgium.

It is a pleasure to have you with us, Samuel - welcome to Antwerp!

01/09/2026

🇵🇹 Last week, the 24th ESPAnet Annual Conference took place in sunny Lisbon ☀️

CPFH colleague Elke Claessens, together with Professor Emeritus Daniel R. Meyer from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Professor Susan Harkness from the University of Bristol, organised the stream “Families in Transition: Rethinking Social Policy Design.”

Across four sessions and 15 presentations, researchers explored how social policy can keep pace with increasingly diverse and changing family lives — with plenty of stimulating discussion, a host of co-authors contributing to the work, and a rather splendid stream happy hour to continue the conversations outside the conference rooms 🍷🍻

A big thank you to all presenters, co-authors and participants who made the stream such a success!

We look forward to continuing the conversations next year, when ESPAnet will take place in Antwerp! 🇧🇪

27/08/2026

📢 New publication on family involvement in medical decision making

How much involvement do people want from their family when making medical decisions? And does this depend on the type of illness or a person’s background?

In a new study published in Medical Decision Making, CPFH researchers Amina Yakhlaf, Sarah Van de Velde and Edwin Wouters, together with Veerle Buffel, examine preferences for family involvement in medical decisions in Belgium.

Using data from 1,175 participants in The Social Study, the research shows that most people prefer to remain at the center of their own medical decisions. At the same time, preferences for family involvement vary by illness and individual characteristics.

Family involvement was more often preferred in severe depression than in mild depression or cancer. Migration background, living with a partner, education, and religious affiliation were also related to these preferences.

The findings show that there is no single preferred way of involving family in medical decisions. Healthcare professionals should therefore not assume that patients want to decide alone or involve their family, but ask whether and how they would like others to participate.

📄 Read the full paper:

Background: Family involvement (FI) in medical decision making (MDM) is increasingly recognized as a dimension of patient-centered care; however, patient prefer...

14/08/2026

💔 Happily (divorced) ever after?

Every year, tens of thousands of couples in Flanders separate. And official divorce statistics only show part of the story: break-ups are even more common among cohabiting couples.

But what happens after a separation?
👉 How does it affect our well-being and health?
👉 What does it mean for children?
👉 And what happens to our love lives once the dust has settled?

In a new episode of Kennismakers, focusing on Family, CPFH colleague Prof. Dimitri Mortelmans shares insights from nearly 30 years of research on divorce, separation and intimate relationships.

One key message offers some perspective: ❤️ love does not end after divorce. Many people find a new partner, and today around one in three marriages is a remarriage.

Together with researchers Valentien Taeldeman (Ghent University) and Inge Pasteels (PXL), Dimitri explores what research can teach us about separation, health, children, and starting over.

🎥 Watch “Can we divorce happily?” on Kennismakers:
https://kennismakers.be/video/scheiden-we-ons-gelukkig

Elk jaar gaan in Vlaanderen tienduizenden koppels uit elkaar. Maar hoe ziet het leven eruit na de echtscheiding?

27/07/2026

🎉 New publication alert! 🎉

In a recent publication in Family Relations, Jany Janssen and CPFH colleague Elke Claessens offer new insights into how separated parents respond when child support payments are not made, identifying distinct response patterns and highlighting the importance of considering both family dynamics and perceptions of fairness when addressing child support non-compliance. The findings provide valuable implications for practitioners and policymakers working with separated families 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⚖️

👉Read the full article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/fare.70270

24/07/2026

🌍✨ Earlier in July, five CPFH colleagues had the opportunity to present their research at the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR) conference, joining researchers from around the world to discuss the latest developments in relationship and singlehood research.

From Elise 't Hoen exploring how fear of being single, personality, and relationship histories shape relationship desire, Laura Robberecht unveiling the Gendered Singlehood Perception Scale, and Margot Bracke challenging stereotypes about singlehood, to Dries Van Gasse highlighting why liminal love deserves greater attention and Dimitri Mortelmans introducing the GGS Wave 2 Singlehood Module: our team certainly showcased the breadth of singlehood research taking place at CPFH!

It was an inspiring few days filled with engaging discussions, valuable feedback, and new international connections! 👏💬

08/07/2026

🌍 Several CPFH colleagues joined the 5th International Singles Studies Conference in Edinburgh today, where singlehood research took centre stage ✨

Elise ’t Hoen presented research on relationship desire, Laura Robberecht on the Gendered Singlehood Perception Scale, Margot Bracke on the perceived perspective to partner in a dual perspective from singles and close friends, Dries Van Gasse on situationships, and Elke Claessens on singlehood disadvantage in liberal welfare states.

The conference offered a wonderful opportunity to connect with international colleagues, exchange ideas, and engage in fruitful discussions on the growing field of singlehood studies! 💬