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L.I.M. Lenferink PhD (Lonneke)

Assistant Professor

About Me

I work as assistant professor at the University of Twente, University of Groningen, and Utrecht University (NL) and a visiting researcher at Aarhus University (DK) and the University of New South Wales (AUS). My research is focused on the definition, assessment, prediction, and treatment of disturbed grief in bereaved adults and children.  

In projects among people who experienced losses because of a long-term disappearance, homicide, MH17 plane disaster, traffic accident, COVID-19, and Russian war in Ukraine I examine risk factors and treatment of distress. I have authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles. According to a bibliometric study from 2023 on the most productive/influential authors on the topic of prolonged grief disorder (https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2023.2196734) I am the third most productive academic in the world.

As main applicant/principal investigator, I received funding (> 870.000 euros) for ten research projects, including a NWO Veni-grant in 2022. As co-applicant, I received funding (>250.000 euros) for four research projects. Funding agencies that financially supported my work are Fund Victim Support, Dutch Ministry of Justice and Safety, NWO, SASS, Stichting Catharine van Tussenbroek, and Utrecht and Twente University Fund.

Additional roles:
1. Editor for special issue on grief in Frontiers in Psychiatry (https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/23195/consequences-and-aftercare-of-a-traumatic-loss-of-a-loved-one) (2021-2023)
2. Ad-hoc reviewer for several academic journals (see for overview: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/155722)
3. Former board member of the Dutch Society for Psychotrauma (see www.ntvp.nl). This is a society for therapists and researchers working with psychotrauma. It consists of 600+ members and ~10.000 LinkedIn followers. (2019-2023)
4. Chair Special Interest Group Traumatic Grief of the Dutch Society for Psychotrauma (2023-current)
5. Finance/Research officer Bereavement Network Europe (community that connects European professionals working with bereaved people) (2020-current)
6. Teacher in research practice at PPO (a post-master education for clinical psychologists) (2019-current)
7. Editorial board of Impact Magazine (https://oorlog.arq.org/nl/impact-magazine-0) (2021-current)
8. Review committee member Dutch Veterans Institute (Nederlands Veteranen Instituut) (2022)

Co-promotor/Principal investigator/Daily supervisor
PhD Candidate Iris van Dijk (2020-2024)
PhD Candidate Lyanne Reitsma (2020-2024)
PhD Candidate Lieke Nijborg (2022-2025)

PhD Committee member
PhD Sander Vos (2021)


 

 

Expertise

Medicine & Life Sciences
Bereavement
Depression
Disasters
Grief
Latent Class Analysis
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders
Psychopathology
Social Sciences
Grief

Publications

Recent
Comtesse, H., Killikelly, C., Hengst, S. , Lenferink, L., de la Rie, S., Boelen, P. A., & Smid, G. E. (2023). The Ambiguous Loss Inventory Plus (ALI+): Introduction of a measure of psychological reactions to the disappearance of a loved one. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(6), 5117. [5117]. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065117
Sadeh, Y., Denejkina, A., Karyotaki, E. , Lenferink, L. I. M., & Kassam-Adams, N. (Accepted/In press). Opportunities for improving data sharing and FAIR data practices to advance global mental health. Global Mental Health.
Liem, M., Aarten, P., van Denderen, M. , & Lenferink, L. (2023). Slachtoffers en nabestaanden van levensdelicten. In J. van Doorn, J. Brands, M. J. J. Kunst, E. R. Muller, A. Pemberton, & L. van Reemst (Eds.), Slachtoffers: Onderzoek, beleid en praktijk Wolters Kluwer.
Aarten, P. G. M. , & Lenferink, L. (2023). Verkeersslachtoffers. In J. van Doorn, J. Brands, M. J. J. Kunst, E. R. Muller, A. Pemberton, & L. van Reemst (Eds.), Slachtoffers: Onderzoek, beleid en praktijk Wolters Kluwer.
Lenferink, L. (2022). De psychosociale gevolgen van de COVID-19 pandemie voor de Nederlandse bevolking. Paper presented at NtVP jaarcongres 2022, Stroe, Netherlands.
Lenferink, L. (2022). Nieuwe instrumenten voor het meten van een rouwstoornis in onderzoek en praktijk. Paper presented at VGCt najaarscongres 2022, Veldhoven, Netherlands.
Lenferink, L., & Boelen, P. A. (2022). Paper-in-a-day: Pre-conference workshop. Paper presented at European Grief Conference, EGC 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kokou-Kpolou, C. K. , Lenferink, L., Brunnet, A. E., Park, S., Megalakaki, O., Boelen, P. A., & Cénat, J. M. (2022). The ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR prolonged grief criteria: Validation of the Traumatic Grief Inventory-Self Report Plus using exploratory factor analysis and item response theory. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 29(6), 1950-1962. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2765
Nickerson, A., Kashyap, S., Keegan, D., Edwards, B., Forrest, W., Bryant, R. A., O'Donnell, M., Felmingham, K., McFarlane, A. C., Tol, W. A. , Lenferink, L., Hoffman, J., & Liddell, B. J. (2022). Impact of displacement context on psychological distress in refugees resettled in Australia: A longitudinal population-based study. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 31, [e51]. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796022000324
Lenferink, L. I. M., Nickerson, A., Kashyap, S., de Keijser, J., & Boelen, P. A. (2022). Associations of dimensions of anger with distress following traumatic bereavement. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001275

UT Research Information System

Google Scholar Link

Current Projects

Finished Projects

In the press

Media outlet highlights
Original title [English title]

Link
Date (day/month/year)

  1. Interview Dutch national newspaper Algemeen Dagblad
    Zoektocht naar vermiste Samuël gestaakt: ‘We moeten nu accepteren dat hij niet gevonden wordt’ [The search for Samuël discontinued: ‘We now need to accept that he will not be found’]
    https://www.ad.nl/amersfoort/zoektocht-naar-vermiste-samuel-gestaakt-we-moeten-nu-accepteren-dat-hij-niet-gevonden-wordt~abf93ac13/
    28/9/2021
  2. Interview professional Dutch magazine Vakblad Uitvaart
    Grotere kans op rouwstoornis door corona [Increased risk of a grief disorder due to corona
    ]
    https://uitvaartmedia.com/webshop-vakbladuitvaart/
    01/12/2020
  3. Interview Dutch national newspaper Algemeen Dagblad
    Hoe rouw je in tijden van corona? [How to grieve in times of COVID?]

    https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/hoe-rouw-je-in-tijden-van-corona-ik-heb-het-afscheid-in-kleine-kring-juist-als-prettig-ervaren~a0d5bb43/
    28/10/2020
  4. Blog Nederlandstalige Vereniging voor Psychotrauma
    Yalom: “Get in therapy; go through your own issues!”

    https://www.ntvp.nl/yalom-get-in-therapy-go-through-your-own-issues/?mc_cid=0da9d4e3b2&mc_eid=dce7448dc8
    23/10/2020
  5. Interview Dutch national radio Radio1
    Radio 1: Online rouwen tijdens pandemie [Grieving online during pandemic]

    https://www.nporadio1.nl/fris/onderwerpen/66163-2020-10-11-online-rouwen-om-coronadoden-kan-dat-wel
    11/10/2020
  6. Dutch national t.v. Nieuwsuur
    Hoe is het om door corona nooit echt afscheid te kunnen nemen van je geliefde [What is it like to never really say goodbye to your loved one because of corona?]

    https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/video/2350976-hoe-is-het-om-door-corona-nooit-echt-afscheid-te-kunnen-nemen-van-je-geliefde.html
    04/10/2020
  7. Online Dutch article published by Fund Victim Support
    Afscheid en rouw in tijden van corona
    [Farewell and grief in COVID-19 times]
    https://slachtofferwijzer.nl/nieuws/afscheid-en-rouw-in-tijden-van-corona/
    30/03/2020
  8. Live-interview Dutch national radio Radio1
    Impact op achterblijvers van vermiste is enorm [impact on those left behind after a disappearance is huge]
    https://www.nporadio1.nl/langs-de-lijn-en-omstreken/onderwerpen/526611-impact-op-achterblijvers-van-vermiste-is-enorm
    22/01/2020
  9. Interview Dutch national newspaper Algemeen Dagblad
    Hierdoor maakt de vermissing van Dirk Dalebout meer los dan andere zaken
    [This is why the disappearance of Dirk Dalebout results in relatively more reactions than other cases]
    https://www.ad.nl/dordrecht/hierdoor-maakt-de-vermissing-van-dirk-dalebout-meer-los-dan-andere-zaken~acdd2aa7/?referrer=https://www.google.com/
    11/08/2019
  10. Interview Dutch national newspaper Algemeen Dagblad
    Bijna 300 vermiste Nederlanders: het kan ook jou overkomen [Nearly 300 missing Dutch people: it could also happen to you

    https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/bijna-300-vermiste-nederlanders-het-kan-ook-jou-overkomen~a45b335a/
    24/02/2019
  11. Interview Dutch national newspaper Volkskrant Magazine
    "Ik zou zo graag willen horen uw kind is dood"
    [“I would like to hear your child is dead”]
    https://www.volkskrant.nl/kijkverder/v/2019/ik-zou-zo-graag-willen-horen-uw-kind-is-dood/
    16/02/2019
  12. Interview Dutch professional magazine "de Psycholoog"
    Tussen hoop en vrees [In limbo]

    https://www.tijdschriftdepsycholoog.nl/artikelen/tussen-hoop-en-vrees/
    05/10/2018
  13. Interview Dutch national newspaper NRC Handelsblad
    "Hardnekkige rouw om een vermiste" [Disturbing grief after someone is missing]

    https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2018/06/18/hardnekkige-rouw-om-een-vermiste-a1606943
    18/06/2018
  14. Online interview for Dutch national news NOS
    Mensen die hoop houden na de vermissing van een dierbare hebben de meeste klachten [People who maintain hope after the disappearance of loved one have the highest distress]

    https://nos.nl/op3/artikel/2196589-mensen-die-hoop-houden-na-de-vermissing-van-een-dierbare-hebben-de-meeste-klachten.html
    06/10/2017
  15. Interview regional Dutch newspaper “de Stentor”
    Achterblijvers van vermisten in therapie
    [Relatives of missing people in treatment]
    www.destentor.nl/nieuws/achterblijvers-van-vermisten-in-therapie~a476fb96/
    06/06/2016
  16. Live regional Dutch television interview Omroep Brabant
    88 Brabanders langdurig vermist
    [88 people from the region Brabant are long-term missing]
    https://youtu.be/kpWTcZs8P1E
    04/01/2015

Contact Details

Visiting Address

University of Twente
Drienerlolaan 5
7522 NB Enschede
The Netherlands

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Mailing Address

University of Twente
P.O. Box 217
7500 AE Enschede
The Netherlands