L'auteur de cette thèse tient à remercier l'Université de Montréal, le Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé ainsi que les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada pour leurs bourses et financements respectifs. / L’Integrated Psychological Treatment (IPT) est une approche de réadaptation d’orientation cognitivo-comportementale développée en psychiatrie générale pour les personnes atteintes de schizophrénie. Dans les dernières années, l’IPT a attiré l’attention de cliniciens œuvrant en milieu carcéral et en psychiatrie légale. Les habiletés ciblées dans l’IPT semblaient alors répondre aux besoins de leur clientèle atteinte de schizophrénie. Des projets pilotes ont néanmoins soulevé des enjeux d’implantation pouvant compromettre la pérennité de l’approche dans ces institutions. Peu d’études se sont intéressées aux facteurs qui entravent l’implantation des approches fondées sur les preuves en milieux sécuritaires. D’ailleurs, un écart subsiste avec les standards de soins retrouvés en psychiatrie générale. L’objectif de cette thèse vise à comprendre les enjeux d’implantation de l’IPT en milieu carcéral et en psychiatrie légale et à cerner les composantes pouvant être adaptées afin de mieux répondre aux besoins de la clientèle atteinte de schizophrénie. Pour ce faire, deux projets ont été réalisés. Un premier projet, une analyse d’implantation sous forme d’étude de cas, a été réalisé auprès d’un établissement de détention et d’un hôpital spécialisé en psychiatrie légale. Des entrevues ont été menées avec les parties prenantes impliquées dans l’implantation (animateurs de l’IPT, patients, intervenants, etc.). Les résultats ont montré que l’IPT est jugé pertinent pour la clientèle et peut être offert en milieu carcéral et en psychiatrie légale. Des enjeux propres à ces milieux ont cependant été identifiés. Parmi ceux-ci, la complexité du tableau clinique et légal de la clientèle, la difficulté à travailler en interdisciplinarité, l’incompatibilité entre certaines exigences sécuritaires et les besoins de réadaptation (notamment au regard de la généralisation des apprentissages) ainsi qu’un manque de priorisation accordé à l’IPT dans la programmation correctionnelle. Le second projet, une étude de développement ayant recours à un devis mixte multi-phases, est venu proposer une solution technologique, la vidéo immersive, afin de faciliter l’expérimentation et la généralisation des apprentissages dans des situations sollicitant des habiletés déficitaires contribuant aux comportements violents (c.-à-d. la cognition sociale). Une phase de développement, comprenant une démarche participative, a sollicité la participation de patients (n=7) et d’intervenants (n=7). Cinq scénarios ont alors été conçus. Ceux-ci cherchaient à susciter des biais de référence à soi et d’intentionnalité. Une phase de validation des scénarios a été effectuée avec des patients atteints d’un trouble dans le spectre de la schizophrénie (n=7) et des personnes sans trouble mental connu (n=7). Les résultats ont suggéré qu’il est possible de concevoir des scénarios qui ont tous les attributs recherchés (c.-à-d. ambigus, réalistes, générant un sentiment de présence et suscitant de la colère) pour favoriser la généralisation des apprentissages dans des situations source de comportements violents. Au final, cette thèse met en lumière les obstacles et les conditions essentielles à l’implantation de l’IPT en milieu carcéral et en psychiatrie légale. L’adaptation de l’IPT doit se poursuivre dans ces milieux. Certaines pistes de solutions proposées, telle que la vidéo immersive, peuvent favoriser une transformation réussie de l’IPT en milieux sécuritaires et soutenir les efforts en réadaptation pour la clientèle y étant atteinte de schizophrénie. / The Integrated Psychological Treatment is a cognitive-behavioral group approach developed in general psychiatry for individuals with schizophrenia. In recent years, IPT drew the attention of clinicians in correctional and forensic psychiatric settings. The abilities targeted were deemed relevant to address the needs of their clientele with schizophrenia. However, pilot projects revealed implementation issues compromising the sustainability of the approach in those settings (e.g., difficult interdisciplinary collaboration, limited possibilities to practice skills). Few implementation studies have been conducted in correctional and forensic psychiatric settings regarding psychosocial approaches. Moreover, a gap exists in standards of care compared to general psychiatry. The aim of this thesis is to identify the factors that need to be considered in the implementation of IPT in correctional and forensic psychiatric settings and to define the components that need to be adapted to meet the needs of the clientele with schizophrenia. Two projects were conducted. First, an implementation analysis was carried out with two cases: a correctional institution and a high security forensic psychiatric hospital. Stakeholders involved in the implementation were interviewed (IPT facilitators, patients, unit managers, unit staff, etc.). Results showed that IPT was deemed relevant for the clientele and could be delivered in secure settings. However, several issues specific to secure settings were identified (i.e., the complex legal and clinical picture of the clientele, the difficulty of working in interdisciplinarity, conflicts between security requirements and rehabilitation needs and the lack of recognition of IPT in national correctional programming). Following this project, a multiphase mixed method was carried out to develop immersive videos, an innovative solution to foster generalization of learning while addressing deficits contributing to violence (i.e., social cognition). The development phase integrated a participative approach and involved patients (n=7) and practitioners (n=7). Five scenarios were created. They sought to elicit self-referential and intentionality biases. The validation phase involved patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (n=7) and people without a known mental disorder (n=7). Results showed that it is possible to create immersive scenarios that have all the relevant attributes to foster a generalization of learning in situations leading to violence (i.e., ambiguous, realistic, generating a sense of presence and eliciting anger). Overall, this thesis highlights the factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation of IPT in correctional and forensic psychiatric settings. The adaptation of the approach must continue. Solutions such as immersive videos may facilitate a successful transformation of IPT in secure settings and support the rehabilitation of their clientele with schizophrenia.

No description available.

[pt] Neuroticismo é um fator de personalidade que engloba quatro subfatores: depressão, vulnerabilidade, passividade e instabilidade emocional. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivos construir e buscar evidências de validade de medidas implícitas para aferir as facetas de neuroticismo. Para tanto, foram realizados dois estudos: (1) elaboração dos itens; (2) teste empírico das medidas. O primeiro estudo consistiu em um procedimento empírico para selecionar itens e buscar evidências de validade baseadas no conteúdo das medidas construídas. Participaram 408 pessoas, sendo que todas eram estudantes universitárias. Esse procedimento resultou em listas de palavras representativas do indivíduo e das facetas de neuroticismo. No segundo estudo, as palavras selecionadas previamente foram implementadas em testes de associação implícita para que fossem buscadas mais evidências de validade e obtidos indicadores de fidedignidade. Participaram 417 pessoas com diferentes níveis de escolaridade, sendo que 72,2 por cento tinham ensino superior incompleto e 61,4 por cento eram mulheres. Os resultados indicaram que as medidas de depressão, insegurança e passividade apresentaram evidências de validade satisfatórias, incluindo uma estrutura consonante com as definições dos construtos e relações esperadas com outras variáveis. Por exemplo, encontraram-se correlações positivas entre as medidas construídas e neuroticismo e correlações negativas com satisfação de vida. A medida de instabilidade emocional, por outro lado, se mostrou mais problemática no que diz respeito às evidências de validade. Ainda, os índices de consistência interna de todas as medidas se mostraram adequados e os coeficientes de correlação teste-reteste foram superiores aos valores que têm sido encontrados na literatura. Discute-se, entretanto, que mais evidências de validade são necessárias para que essas medidas possam ser usadas em contextos aplicados. / [en] Neuroticism is a personality factor that encompasses four subfactors: depression, vulnerability, passivity and emotional instability. This research aimed to build and search for evidence of validity of implicit measures to assess the facets of neuroticism. For this purpose, two studies were conducted: (1) elaboration of the items; (2) empirical test of the measures. The first study consisted of an empirical procedure to select items and search for evidence of validity based on the content of the built measures. Participants were 408 people, all of them were university students. This procedure resulted in lists of representative words of the individual and the facets of neuroticism. On the second study, the previously chosen words were implemented on implicit association tests, so that more evidence of validity was sought and reliability indicators were obtained. Participants were 417 people with different levels of educational background, 72.2 percent of them had incomplete higher educational background and 61.4 percent were women. The results indicated that the measures of depression, insecurity and passivity presented satisfactory evidence of validity, including a structure aligned with the definition of the constructs and expected relations to other variables. For instance, we found positive correlations between the built measures and neuroticism and negative correlations with satisfaction with life. The measure of emotional instability, however, proved to be more problematic regarding the evidence of validity. In addition, the internal consistency indexes for all measures were found to be adequate and the test-retest correlation coefficients were higher than the values found in previous studies. It is argued, however, that more evidence of validity is needed so that these measures can be used in applied contexts.

This essay is a qualitative study that analyzes how close-ups and point of view in relation to the narrative affect the viewer emotionally in the TV show The Last of Us episode 8. It examines the visualization of the character Ellie’s emotions and analyzes its emotional effect on the viewer. The theories applied explain the human ability to feel empathy and social cognition, film’s ability to evoke emotion and the concept of focalization. The theories also define the terms: narrative, point of view and close-ups. Five scenes were chosen and each scene was analyzed closely looking at facial expressions, point of view, camera movement, angles and more. Since this is a qualitative study it is based on subjective interpretations and assumptions which should be taken into account. However emotions are exceedingly subjective and a quantitative study would therefore be unmotivated.  The results suggest that assumptions can be made in how close-ups and point of view affect the viewer emotionally. When taken narrative into account, close-ups and point of view visualized the character Ellie’s emotions. These two techniques clarified and reinforced the character’s emotional state which, through the human ability to feel social cognition and empathy, transferred and/or influenced the viewer’s emotions.

Four core themes characterised this study: (a) adult friendship, particularly across the gender line, (b) the association between friendship and psychological well-being, (c) the role of attachment in friendship processes, and (d) the influence of the boundaries of marriage on friendship. Twenty six individuals were included in the initial research and 19 subjects participated in the main study. Theoretical principles of social cognition, constructive alternativism and attachment guided the collection and interpretation of data, which was collated, interpreted and then presented in case-study format. Self-with-other representation played a major role in data interpretation. Investigation into the structure and processes of friendship revealed it to be a complex and fragile relationship, defined both idiosyncratically and existentially, as well as by specific distinguishing features, such as trust, loyalty and intimacy . Attachment orientation and positive friendship experiences were noted as being contributory to the sense of interpersonal intimacy associated with feelings of well-being. Positive association was registered between 'secure' attachment orientation and self-ratings of well-being and happiness. Opposite-sex friendship emerged as an exclusive relational type, both similar to, and different from, samesex friendship and romantic love relationships. Its ambiguous role is evidently compounded by the latent sexuality in heterosocial relationships. Respondents reported cases of opposite-sex friendships metamorphosing into romantic love relationships and, less frequently, vice versa. Manifest in attachment and relational mental models, marital boundaries can facilitate or inhibit friendship. On both direct- and meta-perspective levels, securely-attached respondents were relatively accepting of opposite-sex friendships within a marital context. Insecurely-attached subjects tended to construe them as threatening to the marital reality. Responses to this threat varied: avoidantly-attached individuals used ego-protective mechanisms such as denial and repression, whereas · the anxious-ambivalent attachment orientation seemed more closely associated with feelings of mistrust and jealousy, expressed through anger and anxiety. Personal boundary structure plays an incisive role ln adult friendship. Thick-boundaried personalities seemed particularly conscious of preserving marital identity. They were more territorial with regard to friendships within the marital context, and more conscious of social rules pertaining thereto. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Il est maintenant bien établi que le cerveau humain est doté d’un système de neurones qui s’active tant à la perception qu’à l’exécution d’une action. Les neurones miroirs, ainsi que le système qu’ils forment avec des structures adjacentes appelées système neurones miroirs (SNM), ont été relié à la compréhension d’action et pourrait être impliqué dans les fonctions sociales de haut niveau tel que l’empathie et l’imitation. Dans la foulée spéculative reliant le SNM à la sphère sociale, le dysfonctionnement de ce système a rapidement gagné intérêt dans la genèse des anomalies du domaine social chez les personnes présentant le Trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA). Néanmoins, l’hypothèse voulant que le dysfonctionnement social des TSA repose sur une atteinte du SNM est controversée. En effet, les études soutenant cette hypothèse nécessitent des fonctions cognitives et sociales qui peuvent contribuer à l’obtention de résultats atypiques, telles que la compréhension des consignes, l’attention sur des stimuli sociaux ou la réalisation d’acte moteur. Récemment, un protocole auditif de négativité de discordance (MMN) utilisant des stimuli reliés à l’action humaine a été utilisé pour mesurer l’activité du SNM. Cette technique semble prometteuse dans la mesure où elle ne nécessite pas de capacités attentionnelles ou langagières, elle est brève et demande un montage minimal d’électrodes. Le premier article avait comme objectif principal de mesurer la validité de convergence du protocole MMN relié à l’action avec celui du rythme mu, le protocole le plus utilisé pour enregistrer l’activité miroir à l’aide de l’électroencéphalographie (EEG). Les modes de stimulation ont été délivrées en bloc successif à un groupe de 12 adultes en santé. Alors que les deux techniques ont modulé efficacement les régions fronto-centrales et centrales respectivement, mais ne sont pas corrélées, nous avons conclu qu’il est possible 2 qu’elles mesurent des aspects différents du SNM. Le deuxième article avait comme objectif principal de mesurer l’activité du SNM à l’aide du protocole MMN relié à l’action chez 10 enfants présentant un TSA ainsi que chez 12 enfants neurotypiques dans la même tranche d’âge (5-7ans). Chez les enfants TSA, nous avons montré un patron de latence inversée, comparativement aux enfants du groupe contrôle; ils traitaient plus rapidement les sons contrôles que les sons reliés à l’action humaine, alors que la tendance inverse était observée chez les contrôles. De plus, bien que les deux groupes différaient quant aux sons d’action, ils ne différaient pas quant aux sons contrôles. Quant à l’amplitude, les enfants TSA se distinguaient du groupe contrôle par une amplitude restreinte du son d’action provenant de la bouche. Par ailleurs, les mesures neurophysiologiques et neuropsychologiques n’étaient pas corrélées. En sommes, basé sur la prémisse que ce protocole MMN pourrait mesurer l’activité du SNM, cette thèse a comme but d’améliorer les connaissances quant à son utilisation chez l’adulte et l’enfant neurotypique ainsi que chez l’enfant TSA. Celui-ci pourrait ultimement être utilisé comme un biomarqueur potentiel du TSA. / Mirror-neuron system (NMS) has been suggested to underlie action understanding, which is believed to be involved in higher social functions such as empathy and imitation. Numerous studies have also provided indirect evidence supporting the existence of a MNS in the human brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetoenceophalography and electroencephalography (EEG). As evidence relating MNS function with social cognition accumulated, its dysfunction was proposed to underlie social impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Although some studies have reported structural and/or functional data supporting this hypothesis, it remains controversial. Indeed, the techniques used to probe MNS activity often require the participant to understand the task, display sustained attention and present spared visual cognitive functions, which could be altered in ASD population. This, in turn, could partly explain differences in MNS activity found between invididuals with ASD and neurotypical participants. The auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) protocol has recently been proposed as a viable tool to assess MNS activity using action-related sounds. This relatively short oddball paradigm does not require visual, attentional or language skills and can be performed with minimal electrode installation (minimal use of 4 electrodes). This action-related MMN may therefore be well-suited to investigate MNS function in very young children or populations with mental disabilities, such as ASD. The first article of this thesis assessed the convergent validity of the action-related MMN protocol with a mu rhythm suppression paradigm, which is the most commonly used EEG measure of MNS activity. To do so, both protocols were consecutively administered in healthy adults in the same experimental session. While both techniques successfully 4 modulated the fronto-central and central brain regions using action-related stimuli, they did not correlate significantly. This suggests that the two techniques may not probe the same aspects of MNS function. The second article aimed at investigating MNS activity in children with ASD using the action-related MMN protocol. Data were compared to age-matched typically developing children. We show that children with ASD present an opposite pattern to that of control children : whereas MMN latencies are shorter for action-related sounds compared to control sounds in neurotypical children, the opposite pattern is observed in children with ASD. Furthermore, although the two groups present different response patterns with regards to action-related sounds, they repond similarly to control sounds. For amplitude measurements, children with ASD display reduced amplitude to action-related sounds produced by the mouth compared to neurotypical children. In summary, this thesis aimed at determining whether and action-related MMN protocol could be used to measure MNS activity in neurotypical adults and children, as well as in ASD children. The action-related MMN could potentially be used as a biological biomarker of ASD pending further studies.

Les enfants d’âge préscolaire (≤ 5 ans) sont plus à risque de subir un traumatisme crânio-cérébral (TCC) que les enfants plus agés, et 90% de ces TCC sont de sévérité légère (TCCL). De nombreuses études publiées dans les deux dernières décennies démontrent que le TCCL pédiatrique peut engendrer des difficultés cognitives, comportementales et psychiatriques en phase aigüe qui, chez certains enfants, peuvent perdurer à long terme. Il existe une littérature florissante concernant l'impact du TCCL sur le fonctionnement social et sur la cognition sociale (les processus cognitifs qui sous-tendent la socialisation) chez les enfants d'âge scolaire et les adolescents. Or, seulement deux études ont examiné l'impact d'un TCCL à l'âge préscolaire sur le développement social et aucune étude ne s'est penchée sur les répercussions socio-cognitives d'un TCCL précoce (à l’âge préscolaire). L'objectif de la présente thèse était donc d'étudier les conséquences du TCCL en bas âge sur la cognition sociale. Pour ce faire, nous avons examiné un aspect de la cognition sociale qui est en plein essor à cet âge, soit la théorie de l'esprit (TE), qui réfère à la capacité de se mettre à la place d'autrui et de comprendre sa perspective. Le premier article avait pour but d'étudier deux sous-composantes de la TE, soit la compréhension des fausses croyances et le raisonnement des désirs et des émotions d'autrui, six mois post-TCCL. Les résultats indiquent que les enfants d'âge préscolaire (18 à 60 mois) qui subissent un TCCL ont une TE significativement moins bonne 6 mois post-TCCL comparativement à un groupe contrôle d'enfants n'ayant subi aucune blessure. Le deuxième article visait à éclaircir l'origine de la diminution de la TE suite à un TCCL précoce. Cet objectif découle du débat qui existe actuellement dans la littérature. En effet, plusieurs scientifiques sont d'avis que l'on peut conclure à un effet découlant de la blessure au cerveau seulement lorsque les enfants ayant subi un TCCL sont comparés à des enfants ayant subi une blessure n'impliquant pas la tête (p.ex., une blessure orthopédique). Cet argument est fondé sur des études qui démontrent qu'en général, les enfants qui sont plus susceptibles de subir une blessure, peu importe la nature de celle-ci, ont des caractéristiques cognitives pré-existantes (p.ex. impulsivité, difficultés attentionnelles). Il s'avère donc possible que les difficultés que nous croyons attribuables à la blessure cérébrale étaient présentes avant même que l'enfant ne subisse un TCCL. Dans cette deuxième étude, nous avons donc comparé les performances aux tâches de TE d'enfants ayant subi un TCCL à ceux d'enfants appartenant à deux groupes contrôles, soit des enfants n'ayant subi aucune blessure et à des pairs ayant subi une blessure orthopédique. De façon générale, les enfants ayant subi un TCCL ont obtenu des performances significativement plus faibles à la tâche évaluant le raisonnement des désirs et des émotions d'autrui, 6 mois post-blessure, comparativement aux deux groupes contrôles. Cette étude visait également à examiner l'évolution de la TE suite à un TCCL, soit de 6 mois à 18 mois post-blessure. Les résultats démontrent que les moindres performances sont maintenues 18 mois post-TCCL. Enfin, le troisième but de cette étude était d’investiguer s’il existe un lien en la performance aux tâches de TE et les habiletés sociales, telles qu’évaluées à l’aide d’un questionnaire rempli par le parent. De façon intéressante, la TE est associée aux habiletés sociales seulement chez les enfants ayant subi un TCCL. Dans l'ensemble, ces deux études mettent en évidence des répercussions spécifiques du TCCL précoce sur la TE qui persistent à long terme, et une TE amoindrie seraient associée à de moins bonnes habiletés sociales. Cette thèse démontre qu'un TCCL en bas âge peut faire obstacle au développement sociocognitif, par le biais de répercussions sur la TE. Ces résultats appuient la théorie selon laquelle le jeune cerveau immature présente une vulnérabilité accrue aux blessures cérébrales. Enfin, ces études mettent en lumière la nécessité d'étudier ce groupe d'âge, plutôt que d'extrapoler à partir de résultats obtenus avec des enfants plus âgés, puisque les enjeux développementaux s'avèrent différents, et que ceux-ci ont potentiellement une influence majeure sur les répercussions d'une blessure cérébrale sur le fonctionnement sociocognitif. / Preschool children (≤ 5 years old) are at particular risk of sustaining traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 90% of these injuries are mild in nature (mTBI). A substantial amount of research has provided evidence of acute and, in more isolated cases, long-term cognitive, behavioral, and psychiatric consequences following mTBI. In the last two decades, there has been an increase in scientific attention dedicated to the social and socio-cognitive (the cognitive functions that underpin socialisation) sequelae of pediatric mTBI; however, research has almost exclusively been conducted with school-aged children and adolescents. Thus, the literature concerning the social repercussions of mTBI remains comparatively sparse in preschool children, with only two studies that have examined social competence following mTBI. No study has investigated the consequences of early (preschool) mTBI on social cognition. Therefore, the overall objective of this thesis was to expand our understanding of the impact of preschool mTBI on social cognition. More specifically, we addressed an aspect of social cognition that typically emerges during the preschool years, that of theory of mind (ToM), known as the capacity to put oneself in others’ shoes and understand their perspective. The first article examined two subcomponents of ToM, that of false belief understanding and desires and emotions reasoning, 6 months post-mTBI. The findings indicate that preschool children (18 to 60 months) who sustain mTBI have significantly poorer ToM skills compared to typically developing peers 6 months post-injury. The second article focused on the debate in the mTBI literature concerning the most appropriate control group for isolating outcomes that are specific to brain injury. Indeed, it is argued that the choice of the control group (community controls vs. injured counterparts) is of paramount importance because it dictates the conclusions that can be drawn in TBI research. It is argued that brain-injury-specific effects constitute a valid conclusion only when compared to injured peers because in general, children who sustain accidental injuries (whether orthopedic or to the head) share certain pre-existing cognitive characteristics (e.g., impulsivity, attentional difficulties) that not only make them more accident-prone but may also be the origin of post-mTBI difficulties. Thus, the aim of the second paper was to determine whether the poorer ToM skills detected in preschool children with mTBI are the result of a general-injury effect or a brain-injury-specific effect. A second goal of this article was to examine the evolution of ToM skills following mTBI, from 6 months to 18 months post-injury. To do so, we compared children with mTBI to both a community control group and an orthopedic injury (OI) control group. The findings indicate that children who sustain mTBI performed worse on the desires and emotions reasoning task 6 months post-injury compared to both injured and uninjured counterparts, and this discrepancy in performance was maintained 18 months post-mTBI. Lastly, the third goal of this study was to investigate the link between performances on ToM tasks and social abilities, as measures by parental questionnaires. Overall, these two studies demonstrate a persistent brain-injury-specific effect on ToM skills following early mTBI, and poorer ToM skills are associated with reduced social functioning. This thesis provides evidence that early mTBI can interfere with socio-cognitive development, notably in terms of its repercussions on ToM. These findings support the theory according to which the young, immature brain is more vulnerable to brain insult. Importantly, our studies demonstrate that extrapolation from conclusions drawn with older pediatric age groups may be erroneous because the developmental issues faced by preschool children are fundamentally different. Indeed, neurodevelopmental immaturity may be a driving force that dictates the impact of mTBI on socio-cognitive functioning.

Contexte. Depuis dix ans, en France comme au Québec, le nombre d’adolescents présentant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme sans déficience intellectuelle [TSA SDI] en milieu secondaire ordinaire s’est considérablement accru. Alors que les études internationales et les plans d’action gouvernementaux soulignent la nécessité d’impliquer directement ces jeunes dans les protocoles de recherche, leur parole est très rarement prise en compte dans le milieu francophone. Or, leur appréhension du monde singulière et leurs difficultés de compréhension sociale peuvent constituer des obstacles à leur épanouissement social et scolaire, particulièrement à l’adolescence. Objectif général. Ancré dans une approche écologique où les participants sont reconnus comme experts et coproducteurs de la connaissance, ce travail a pour objectif de comprendre leur vécu de l’inclusion scolaire au secondaire. Méthodologie. 26 adolescents avec TSA (de 13 à 17 ans) et leurs parents ont collaboré à cette recherche, en France (n=17) et au Québec (n=9). Tous ont participé à un entretien semi-dirigé et complété des questionnaires (Échelle des qualités des relations amicale (EQRA) et Profil des perceptions de soi à l’adolescence (PPSA) pour les jeunes ; Questionnaire des forces et difficultés (SDQ) et fiche signalétique pour les parents). Résultats. Analyse des questionnaires. L’analyse par regroupements hiérarchiques a mis en évidence trois profils de représentations amicales (EQRA) se distinguant principalement au niveau de la camaraderie et de l’aide reçue par l’ami. Concernant la perception de soi (PPSA), ce sont majoritairement les dimensions sociale, amicale et corporelle qui différencient les 4 profils d’adolescents. De plus, la présence d’une aide humaine en classe et les accompagnements visant l’amélioration des compétences sociales (séances de groupe ou individuelles) apparaissent corrélés aux représentations de soi et des relations amicales. Malgré des scores d’impact et de fardeau parental jugés modérés à élevés, l’analyse des 4 profils parentaux (SDQ) montre que les comportements prosociaux du jeune, le fait pour la mère de travailler à temps plein et le fait d’avoir soi-même un diagnostic de TSA sont corrélés à des représentations parentales plus satisfaisantes. Analyse thématique des entretiens avec les adolescents. La gestion des aspects sensoriels, le comportement jugé immature de leurs pairs et la fatigue liée à charge de travail importante sont identifiés comme les principaux obstacles au bien vécu de l’inclusion. À l’inverse, la participation à un programme d’études internationales, le fait d’être guidé par une passion et la présence d’un ami dans l’établissement sont jugés particulièrement aidants. Bien que fortement dépendante du regard des pairs, leur identité autistique est généralement bien assumée, notamment en dehors du milieu scolaire. Perspectives. Ainsi, la transition des jeunes TSA vers la vie adulte constitue l’un des enjeux majeurs pour les années à venir et doit être anticipée très en amont. Il s’agit de permettre aux adolescents d’acquérir l’autonomie et les compétences nécessaires pour plaider leur propre cause dans l’environnement postsecondaire puis professionnel. Ce travail souligne enfin l’importance d’abandonner l’approche centrée sur les déficits au profit d’une approche capacitante, qui favorise l’empowerment des adolescents et aborde les TSA sous l’angle de la neurodiversité. / Background. In the last years, an increasing number of students diagnosed with high functioning autistic spectrum disorders (HFASD) was able to attend mainstream high schools in both France and Quebec. Despite international studies and governmental recommendations to involve directly youth with HFASD in research, their own perspective is rarely taken into account in francophone research settings. Yet, their singular perception of the world and their difficulties with social understanding can be obstacles for their academic and social fulfillment, especially during adolescence. Objective. Grounded in an ecological approach where participants are acknowledged as experts and knowledge co producers, our work aims at understanding how they cope with mainstream education in high schools. Methods. 26 teenagers with HFASD (13-17) and their parents collaborated in this research, in France (n=17) and in Quebec (n=9). Both youth and parents took part in semi-structured in-depth interviews and completed questionnaires (Adolescents: Friendship Qualities Scale (FQS) and Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA); Parents: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and personal information sheet). Results. Questionnaire analysis. Cluster analysis identified three adolescent profiles for friendship representations, mainly distinguished regarding two dimensions: companionship and help/aid from the friend. Three dimensions (social acceptance, close friends and physical appearance) differentiate self-perception into a 4-group typology (SPPA). Moreover, the presence of a teaching assistant in class and the social skills training support (individual or group sessions) are correlated positive with self and friendship representations. Despite moderate to high scores of impact and parental burden (SDQ), results indicate that satisfying parental representations are positively correlated with adolescent’ prosocial behaviors, full-time job for mothers and diagnosis of ASD in parents. Thematic analysis of teenagers’ interviews. Managing school sensory aspects, perceived immature behaviors from their peers and tiredness resulting from to important workload are identified as the main obstacles for their wellbeing in high school. On the contrary, being included in an intensive or international academic program, being driven by a passion or a clear objective and having a friend in the school environment appear to be important enablers for inclusion success. Although strongly dependent of peers’ representations, the autistic identity is generally well lived and accepted, especially outside of high school. Prospects. Transition from adolescence to adult life will constitute one of the major challenges for youth with HFASD in the next few years and has to be anticipated as soon as possible. This preparation would allow the adolescents to gain autonomy and practical skills to understand their needs and strengths and be able to speak for themselves in a professional environment. Finally, our work highlights the urge for moving from a deficit-led approach to a neurodiversity paradigm, promoting empowerment of individuals and considering ASD as a valuable contribution to human diversity.

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Four core themes characterised this study: (a) adult friendship, particularly across the gender line, (b) the association between friendship and psychological well-being, (c) the role of attachment in friendship processes, and (d) the influence of the boundaries of marriage on friendship. Twenty six individuals were included in the initial research and 19 subjects participated in the main study. Theoretical principles of social cognition, constructive alternativism and attachment guided the collection and interpretation of data, which was collated, interpreted and then presented in case-study format. Self-with-other representation played a major role in data interpretation. Investigation into the structure and processes of friendship revealed it to be a complex and fragile relationship, defined both idiosyncratically and existentially, as well as by specific distinguishing features, such as trust, loyalty and intimacy . Attachment orientation and positive friendship experiences were noted as being contributory to the sense of interpersonal intimacy associated with feelings of well-being. Positive association was registered between 'secure' attachment orientation and self-ratings of well-being and happiness. Opposite-sex friendship emerged as an exclusive relational type, both similar to, and different from, samesex friendship and romantic love relationships. Its ambiguous role is evidently compounded by the latent sexuality in heterosocial relationships. Respondents reported cases of opposite-sex friendships metamorphosing into romantic love relationships and, less frequently, vice versa. Manifest in attachment and relational mental models, marital boundaries can facilitate or inhibit friendship. On both direct- and meta-perspective levels, securely-attached respondents were relatively accepting of opposite-sex friendships within a marital context. Insecurely-attached subjects tended to construe them as threatening to the marital reality. Responses to this threat varied: avoidantly-attached individuals used ego-protective mechanisms such as denial and repression, whereas · the anxious-ambivalent attachment orientation seemed more closely associated with feelings of mistrust and jealousy, expressed through anger and anxiety. Personal boundary structure plays an incisive role ln adult friendship. Thick-boundaried personalities seemed particularly conscious of preserving marital identity. They were more territorial with regard to friendships within the marital context, and more conscious of social rules pertaining thereto. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)