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Research Interests: Management, Psychology, Psychometrics, Depression, Psychopathology, and 15 moreAdolescent, Comparative Study, Medicine, Thought Suppression, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Distress, Thinking, Humans, Business and Management, Female, Cognitive Therapy, Male, Mental Disorders, Adult, and Behaviour Therapy
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Research Interests: Coping Strategies, Cognition, Imagination, Adolescent, Medicine, and 15 moreAnxiety, Humans, Business and Management, Female, Male, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Behavior Modeling, Middle Aged, Adult, ANXIETY, Intrusion, Psychological Models, Experimental Data, Behaviour Therapy, and Obsessive Compulsive
Research Interests: Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, Perception, Social Perception, and 15 moreAdolescent, Medicine, Social behavior, Humans, Female, Male, Attribution, Peer group, Questionnaires, Social Functioning, Adult, Social Behavior, Sickness Impact Profile, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences
Individuals who exhibit motor and vocal tics are viewed as less socially acceptable than persons who do not exhibit tics. Efforts have been made to alter the negative perceptions through the use of education. However, the effectiveness of... more
Individuals who exhibit motor and vocal tics are viewed as less socially acceptable than persons who do not exhibit tics. Efforts have been made to alter the negative perceptions through the use of education. However, the effectiveness of peer education and whether it need be Tourette syndrome (TS) specific remains unclear. One hundred and seventy college students were randomly assigned to view either an educational video about TS, a video about depression, or no educational video, before providing attitudinal and behavioral data on social acceptance of either an actor or actress engaging in motor and vocal tics. Those viewing the TS-specific educational video held more positive attitudes toward persons with tics than those receiving the other two interventions; however, the effect on social behavior intentions and actual social behavior was unclear. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Research Interests: Psychology, Perception, Behavior Modification, Depression, Medicine, and 15 moreHumans, Behavior Therapy, Intervention, Female, College Students, Male, Psychological Intervention, Behavior change, Attitude, Peer group, Questionnaires, Adult, Social Acceptance, Social Behavior, and photic stimulation
Many individuals with trichotillomania (TTM) do not disclose their condition to others. Although disclosure may have beneficial effects, little is known about the consequences of it. The purpose of the current study was to examine the... more
Many individuals with trichotillomania (TTM) do not disclose their condition to others. Although disclosure may have beneficial effects, little is known about the consequences of it. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of a brief, simplified preventative disclosure of TTM. Young adults (N=225) read one of four vignettes, which varied in a 2 (male versus female character)x2 (preventative disclosure of TTM versus nondisclosure) design, and answered several questions regarding the character in the vignette. Although some potential positive effects of disclosure were found (e.g., reduced likelihood of misattribution), some areas of concerns also surfaced. The findings suggest that a brief, simplified preventative disclosure of TTM led to an increase in negative social perceptions compared to non-disclosure. More specifically, those characters that disclosed TTM were evaluated more negatively and more socially rejected than those that did not disclose. However, the overall perceptions of persons with noticeable hair loss, regardless of disclosure status, were not necessarily negative. Implications of the findings, limitations to the study, and directions for future research are discussed.
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Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin picking or scratching and nail biting can be physically and socially detrimental. Given the potential consequences associated with these behaviors, it is unfortunate this area has... more
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin picking or scratching and nail biting can be physically and socially detrimental. Given the potential consequences associated with these behaviors, it is unfortunate this area has received relatively limited attention. The two purposes of the current study were (a) to determine the prevalence of BFRBs among typically developing persons and (b) to examine the contribution of reported somatic activity to the occurrence of BFRBs. Results indicated that 13.7% of the sample met criteria for at least one BFRB, of which the most common topography was nail biting. Persons with a BFRB reported significantly more somatic activity than persons without a BFRB. Further analyses revealed consistent findings across three separate topographies in which persons with a BFRB for nail biting, mouth chewing, and/or skin picking reported significantly more somatic activity than did persons without a BFRB. Clinical implications and diagnostic considerations are discussed.
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The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of habit reversal with a placebo control as a treatment for chronic nail biting in adults. Thirty adults with a chronic nail-biting problem (occurring > or = 5 times/day nearly... more
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of habit reversal with a placebo control as a treatment for chronic nail biting in adults. Thirty adults with a chronic nail-biting problem (occurring > or = 5 times/day nearly every day for > or = 4 weeks and causing physical damage or social impairment) were randomly assigned to a placebo control or habit reversal group. Five participants withdrew from the study prior to the completion of treatment. The remaining individuals in both groups received a total of 2 hours of treatment over 3 sessions. Individuals in the habit reversal group (N = 13) received the components of awareness training, competing response training, and social support. Individuals in the placebo control group (N = 12) simply discussed their nail biting. At pretreatment, posttreatment, and a 5-month follow-up, nail length was measured, photographs were taken of the damaged nails and later rated by independent observers, and data on participant depr...
Research Interests: Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Treatment, Treatment Outcome, Humans, and 15 moreBehavior Therapy, Chronic Disease, Female, Cognitive Therapy, Male, Attitude, Depressive Disorder, Placebos, Self Concept, Adult, Clinical Psychiatry, Nail biting, attitude to health, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences
Individuals with Tourette Syndrome (TS) often experience social difficulties, which may be caused or compounded by others' negative perceptions of persons with the disorder. As a result, researchers and clinicians have called for the... more
Individuals with Tourette Syndrome (TS) often experience social difficulties, which may be caused or compounded by others' negative perceptions of persons with the disorder. As a result, researchers and clinicians have called for the development of attitude change strategies. One such strategy is preventative disclosure, in which one informs others about his or her condition. To date, no known research exists exploring the effects of this type of disclosure with TS. In an attempt to examine the effects of TS disclosure, adults (N = 369) read vignettes that varied in a 2 (male vs. female character) x 2 (preventative disclosure of disorder vs. nondisclosure) design. Respondents answered several questions regarding the character presented in the vignette, which when factor-analyzed, resulted in four factors (social rejection, attributions of a drug/alcohol problem, perceptions of psychological/medical problems, and general concern). The results of this preliminary study are promisi...
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Many individuals with trichotillomania (TTM) do not disclose their condition to others. Although disclosure may have beneficial effects, little is known about the consequences of it. The purpose of the current study was to examine the... more
Many individuals with trichotillomania (TTM) do not disclose their condition to others. Although disclosure may have beneficial effects, little is known about the consequences of it. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of a brief, simplified preventative disclosure of TTM. Young adults (N=225) read one of four vignettes, which varied in a 2 (male versus female character)x2 (preventative disclosure of TTM versus nondisclosure) design, and answered several questions regarding the character in the vignette. Although some potential positive effects of disclosure were found (e.g., reduced likelihood of misattribution), some areas of concerns also surfaced. The findings suggest that a brief, simplified preventative disclosure of TTM led to an increase in negative social perceptions compared to non-disclosure. More specifically, those characters that disclosed TTM were evaluated more negatively and more socially rejected than those that did not disclose. However, the overall perceptions of persons with noticeable hair loss, regardless of disclosure status, were not necessarily negative. Implications of the findings, limitations to the study, and directions for future research are discussed.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin picking or scratching and nail biting can be physically and socially detrimental. Given the potential consequences associated with these behaviors, it is unfortunate this area has... more
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin picking or scratching and nail biting can be physically and socially detrimental. Given the potential consequences associated with these behaviors, it is unfortunate this area has received relatively limited attention. The two purposes of the current study were (a) to determine the prevalence of BFRBs among typically developing persons and (b) to examine the contribution of reported somatic activity to the occurrence of BFRBs. Results indicated that 13.7% of the sample met criteria for at least one BFRB, of which the most common topographywas nail biting. Persons with aBFRBreported significantly more somatic activity than persons without a BFRB. Further analyses revealed consistent findings across three separate topographies in which persons with a BFRB for nail biting, mouth chewing, and/or skin picking reported significantly more somatic activity than did persons without a BFRB. Clinical implications and diagnostic considerati...
Research Interests:
Individuals who exhibit motor and vocal tics are viewed as less socially acceptable than persons who do not exhibit tics. Efforts have been made to alter the negative perceptions through the use of education. However, the effectiveness of... more
Individuals who exhibit motor and vocal tics are viewed as less socially acceptable than persons who do not exhibit tics. Efforts have been made to alter the negative perceptions through the use of education. However, the effectiveness of peer education and whether it need be Tourette syndrome (TS) specific remains unclear. One hundred and seventy college students were randomly assigned to view either an educational video about TS, a video about depression, or no educational video, before providing attitudinal and behavioral data on social acceptance of either an actor or actress engaging in motor and vocal tics. Those viewing the TS-specific educational video held more positive attitudes toward persons with tics than those receiving the other two interventions; however, the effect on social behavior intentions and actual social behavior was unclear. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Psychometrics, Coping Strategies, Imagination, Adolescent, and 15 moreMedicine, Thought Suppression, Humans, Business and Management, Female, Male, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Behavior Modeling, Middle Aged, Adult, Psychological Models, Experimental Data, Internal- External Locus of Control, Thought-action fusion, and Behaviour Therapy
Although the majority of individuals with panic disorder first present to the primary care setting, little is known about the psychiatric treatment that primary care patients with the disorder typically receive. The purpose of this study... more
Although the majority of individuals with panic disorder first present to the primary care setting, little is known about the psychiatric treatment that primary care patients with the disorder typically receive. The purpose of this study was to explore characteristics of treatment received by patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia and by those with panic disorder without agoraphobia, examine demographic and clinical predictors of receiving treatment, and explore treatment barriers. This study used data from the Primary Care Anxiety Project (PCAP), which is a naturalistic, longitudinal study of anxiety disorders among primary care patients. This study presents data for 235 PCAP participants diagnosed at the study intake assessment as having panic disorder with agoraphobia (N=150) or without agoraphobia (N=85). Many patients with panic disorder were not receiving psychiatric treatment at study intake (38%), with those without agoraphobia being less likely to receive treatment. ...
Research Interests: Primary Care, Accessibility, Mental Health, Primary Health Care, Treatment, and 15 morePublic Health, Comparative Study, Agoraphobia, Humans, Female, Male, Panic Disorder, Social Environment, Middle Aged, Questionnaires, Longitudinal Studies, Adult, New England, Public health systems and services research, and Psychiatric Services
Individuals with Tourette Syndrome (TS) often experience social difficulties, which may be caused or compounded by others' negative perceptions of persons with the disorder. As a result, researchers and clinicians have called for the... more
Individuals with Tourette Syndrome (TS) often experience social difficulties, which may be caused or compounded by others' negative perceptions of persons with the disorder. As a result, researchers and clinicians have called for the development of attitude change strategies. One such strategy is preventative disclosure, in which one informs others about his or her condition. To date, no known research exists exploring the effects of this type of disclosure with TS. In an attempt to examine the effects of TS disclosure, adults (N = 369) read vignettes that varied in a 2 (male vs. female character) x 2 (preventative disclosure of disorder vs. nondisclosure) design. Respondents answered several questions regarding the character presented in the vignette, which when factor-analyzed, resulted in four factors (social rejection, attributions of a drug/alcohol problem, perceptions of psychological/medical problems, and general concern). The results of this preliminary study are promisi...
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Research Interests: Primary Care, Psychiatry, Anxiety Disorders, Primary Health Care, Public Health, and 23 morePost traumatic stress disorder, Humans, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Sleep disorders, Male, Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Sleep, Social phobia, Middle Aged, Self Concept, Questionnaires, Longitudinal Studies, Adult, Longitudinal Study, Retrospective Studies, Patient Participation, Anxiety Disorder, Logistic Models, Predictive value of tests, and Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
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Insomnia and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and are associated with significant impairment and disability. There is evidence that insomnia and anxiety disorders commonly co-occur, in addition to both being highly comorbid with... more
Insomnia and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and are associated with significant impairment and disability. There is evidence that insomnia and anxiety disorders commonly co-occur, in addition to both being highly comorbid with major depressive disorder. Thus, it is important for health care providers to be familiar with the literature in this area. Therefore, the purpose of this review was