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Research paper thumbnail of Ways to boost your research rigor through increasing your cultural competence

The Behavior Therapist, 2016

This brief twopart series focuses on ways that we might boost our research rigor by increasing ou... more This brief twopart series focuses on ways that we might boost our research rigor by increasing our cultural competence. We provide specific goals and
rationalization for ways that we can all increase our engagement in the process of becoming more culturally competent. Though brief, and certainly not exhaustive, we hope to contribute to an ongoing discussion
of ways that we can increase the effectiveness and generalizability of our
research through culturally sensitive practices. Further, we believe that being culturally competent can increase the validity of our research. We include in the Appendix (pp. 83-89) the UMB Comprehensive Demographic
Questionnaire, as an example of a demographic assessment that can be adapted for use in specific research contexts.

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancing the Cultural Sensitivity of Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Anxiety in Diverse Populations

The Behavior therapist / AABT, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of A Fresh Look at Potential Mechanisms of Change in Applied Relaxation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Case Series

Cognitive and behavioral practice, 2012

Applied Relaxation (AR), which involves noticing early signs of anxiety and responding with a rel... more Applied Relaxation (AR), which involves noticing early signs of anxiety and responding with a relaxation response, is an empirically supported treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). However, research on hypothesized mechanisms of AR (e.g., reduced muscle tension) has been mixed, making it likely that additional mechanisms are contributing to the efficacy of AR. Stemming from more recent conceptualizations of GAD, it is hypothesized that mindfulness, decentering, and acceptance may be potential mechanisms of change in AR. Outcome, mechanism data, and case descriptions from three individuals diagnosed with GAD who received 16 weeks of AR as part of a larger randomized controlled trial are presented to demonstrate the ways that AR may lead to clinical improvement through mindfulness, decentering, and acceptance.

Research paper thumbnail of Differences Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Individuals and Those Who Reported an Other Identity on an Open-Ended Response on Levels of Social Anxiety

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Reducing Experiential Avoidance in Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Research paper thumbnail of A randomized clinical trial comparing an acceptance-based behavior therapy to applied relaxation for generalized anxiety disorder

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2013

Objective: To examine whether an empirically and theoretically derived treatment combining mindfu... more Objective: To examine whether an empirically and theoretically derived treatment combining mindfulness-and acceptance-based strategies with behavioral approaches would improve outcomes in GAD over an empirically-supported treatment. Method: This trial randomized 81 individuals (65.4% female, 80.2% identified as White, average age 32.92) diagnosed with GAD to receive 16 sessions of either an Acceptance Based Behavior Therapy (ABBT) or Applied Relaxation (AR). Assessments at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up included the following primary outcome measures: GAD Clinician Severity Rating, Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. Secondary outcomes included the Beck Depression Inventory-II, Quality of Life Inventory, and number of comorbid diagnoses. Results: Mixed Effect Regression Models showed significant large effects for Time for all primary outcome measures (d's 1.27 to 1.61) but non-significant, small effects for Condition and Condition X Time (d's 0.002 to 0.20), indicating clients in both treatments improved comparably over treatment. For secondary outcomes, Time was significant (d's 0.74 to 1.38) but Condition and Condition X Time effects were not (d's 0.004 to 0.31). No significant differences emerged over follow-up (d's 0.03 to 0.39) indicating maintenance of gains. Between 63.3 and 80.0% of clients in ABBT and 60.6 and 78.8% of clients in AR experienced clinically significant change across 5 calculations of change at post-treatment and follow-up. Conclusions: ABBT is a viable alternative for treating GAD.

Research paper thumbnail of Reliability and Factor Structure of the Psychological Maltreatment and Neglect Scales of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI)

Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 2012

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Psychologi... more The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Psychological Maltreatment (PM) and Neglect subscales of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI; DiLillo et al., 2010). The CAMI is a retrospective self-report measure that assesses multiple forms of child maltreatment (i.e., sexual, physical, psychological, neglect, exposure to interparental violence) retrospectively from adults. The CAMI's PM

Research paper thumbnail of Development and initial psychometric properties of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI): A comprehensive self-report measure of child maltreatment history

Child Abuse & Neglect, 2010

Objectives: The present study reports on the development and initial psychometric properties of t... more Objectives: The present study reports on the development and initial psychometric properties of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI), a web-based self-report measure of child maltreatment history, including sexual and physical abuse, exposure to interparental violence, psychological abuse, and neglect. Methods: The CAMI was administered to a geographically diverse sample of college students (N = 1398). For validation purposes, participants also completed a widely used measure of maltreatment (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) as well as measures of social desirability. To examine test-retest reliability, a subset of participants (n = 283) completed the CAMI a second time 2-4 weeks after the initial administration. Results: Short-term test-retest reliability of the CAMI subscales was good to strong, as was internal consistency on applicable scales. Criterion-related validity of the CAMI's composite abuse severity scores was supported through predicted discriminative correlations with subscales of the CTQ. The CAMI subscales showed comparable or weaker associations with measures of social desirability than did the CTQ. Although both measures were more strongly associated with a need for approval than other aspects of social desirability, these correlations were still rather low in magnitude and in a range typical of many clinical measures.

Research paper thumbnail of Decentering as a Common Link among Mindfulness, Cognitive Reappraisal, and Social Anxiety

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 2013

The tendency to employ both cognitive reappraisal and mindfulness are associated with reduced tra... more The tendency to employ both cognitive reappraisal and mindfulness are associated with reduced trait social anxiety; however, it is unclear whether reappraisal and mindfulness are associated with social anxiety through the same mechanisms. It has been proposed that decentering, or the process of seeing thoughts or feelings as objective events in the mind rather than personally identifying with them, may be a key mechanism underlying both cognitive reappraisal and mindfulness.

Research paper thumbnail of Ways to boost your research rigor through increasing your cultural competence

The Behavior Therapist, 2016

This brief twopart series focuses on ways that we might boost our research rigor by increasing ou... more This brief twopart series focuses on ways that we might boost our research rigor by increasing our cultural competence. We provide specific goals and
rationalization for ways that we can all increase our engagement in the process of becoming more culturally competent. Though brief, and certainly not exhaustive, we hope to contribute to an ongoing discussion
of ways that we can increase the effectiveness and generalizability of our
research through culturally sensitive practices. Further, we believe that being culturally competent can increase the validity of our research. We include in the Appendix (pp. 83-89) the UMB Comprehensive Demographic
Questionnaire, as an example of a demographic assessment that can be adapted for use in specific research contexts.

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancing the Cultural Sensitivity of Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Anxiety in Diverse Populations

The Behavior therapist / AABT, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of A Fresh Look at Potential Mechanisms of Change in Applied Relaxation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Case Series

Cognitive and behavioral practice, 2012

Applied Relaxation (AR), which involves noticing early signs of anxiety and responding with a rel... more Applied Relaxation (AR), which involves noticing early signs of anxiety and responding with a relaxation response, is an empirically supported treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). However, research on hypothesized mechanisms of AR (e.g., reduced muscle tension) has been mixed, making it likely that additional mechanisms are contributing to the efficacy of AR. Stemming from more recent conceptualizations of GAD, it is hypothesized that mindfulness, decentering, and acceptance may be potential mechanisms of change in AR. Outcome, mechanism data, and case descriptions from three individuals diagnosed with GAD who received 16 weeks of AR as part of a larger randomized controlled trial are presented to demonstrate the ways that AR may lead to clinical improvement through mindfulness, decentering, and acceptance.

Research paper thumbnail of Differences Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Individuals and Those Who Reported an Other Identity on an Open-Ended Response on Levels of Social Anxiety

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Reducing Experiential Avoidance in Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Research paper thumbnail of A randomized clinical trial comparing an acceptance-based behavior therapy to applied relaxation for generalized anxiety disorder

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2013

Objective: To examine whether an empirically and theoretically derived treatment combining mindfu... more Objective: To examine whether an empirically and theoretically derived treatment combining mindfulness-and acceptance-based strategies with behavioral approaches would improve outcomes in GAD over an empirically-supported treatment. Method: This trial randomized 81 individuals (65.4% female, 80.2% identified as White, average age 32.92) diagnosed with GAD to receive 16 sessions of either an Acceptance Based Behavior Therapy (ABBT) or Applied Relaxation (AR). Assessments at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up included the following primary outcome measures: GAD Clinician Severity Rating, Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. Secondary outcomes included the Beck Depression Inventory-II, Quality of Life Inventory, and number of comorbid diagnoses. Results: Mixed Effect Regression Models showed significant large effects for Time for all primary outcome measures (d's 1.27 to 1.61) but non-significant, small effects for Condition and Condition X Time (d's 0.002 to 0.20), indicating clients in both treatments improved comparably over treatment. For secondary outcomes, Time was significant (d's 0.74 to 1.38) but Condition and Condition X Time effects were not (d's 0.004 to 0.31). No significant differences emerged over follow-up (d's 0.03 to 0.39) indicating maintenance of gains. Between 63.3 and 80.0% of clients in ABBT and 60.6 and 78.8% of clients in AR experienced clinically significant change across 5 calculations of change at post-treatment and follow-up. Conclusions: ABBT is a viable alternative for treating GAD.

Research paper thumbnail of Reliability and Factor Structure of the Psychological Maltreatment and Neglect Scales of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI)

Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 2012

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Psychologi... more The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Psychological Maltreatment (PM) and Neglect subscales of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI; DiLillo et al., 2010). The CAMI is a retrospective self-report measure that assesses multiple forms of child maltreatment (i.e., sexual, physical, psychological, neglect, exposure to interparental violence) retrospectively from adults. The CAMI's PM

Research paper thumbnail of Development and initial psychometric properties of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI): A comprehensive self-report measure of child maltreatment history

Child Abuse & Neglect, 2010

Objectives: The present study reports on the development and initial psychometric properties of t... more Objectives: The present study reports on the development and initial psychometric properties of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI), a web-based self-report measure of child maltreatment history, including sexual and physical abuse, exposure to interparental violence, psychological abuse, and neglect. Methods: The CAMI was administered to a geographically diverse sample of college students (N = 1398). For validation purposes, participants also completed a widely used measure of maltreatment (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) as well as measures of social desirability. To examine test-retest reliability, a subset of participants (n = 283) completed the CAMI a second time 2-4 weeks after the initial administration. Results: Short-term test-retest reliability of the CAMI subscales was good to strong, as was internal consistency on applicable scales. Criterion-related validity of the CAMI's composite abuse severity scores was supported through predicted discriminative correlations with subscales of the CTQ. The CAMI subscales showed comparable or weaker associations with measures of social desirability than did the CTQ. Although both measures were more strongly associated with a need for approval than other aspects of social desirability, these correlations were still rather low in magnitude and in a range typical of many clinical measures.

Research paper thumbnail of Decentering as a Common Link among Mindfulness, Cognitive Reappraisal, and Social Anxiety

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 2013

The tendency to employ both cognitive reappraisal and mindfulness are associated with reduced tra... more The tendency to employ both cognitive reappraisal and mindfulness are associated with reduced trait social anxiety; however, it is unclear whether reappraisal and mindfulness are associated with social anxiety through the same mechanisms. It has been proposed that decentering, or the process of seeing thoughts or feelings as objective events in the mind rather than personally identifying with them, may be a key mechanism underlying both cognitive reappraisal and mindfulness.