Education Commons^™

Moderators And Processes Of Change In Traditional Exposure And Response Prevention (Erp) Versus Acceptance And Commitment Therapy-Informed Erp For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Clarissa W. Ong, Shannon M. Blakey, Brooke M. Smith, Kate L. Morrison, Ellen J. Bluett, Jonathan S. Abramowitz, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study evaluated moderators and processes of change in a randomized controlled trial comparing exposure and response prevention (ERP) delivered from a traditional framework versus ERP from an acceptance and commitment therapy framework (ACT+ERP) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This paper presents baseline, weekly session, posttreatment, and follow-up data from the study. We examined (a) moderation effects of anxiety, depression, psychological inflexibility, and interpretation of intrusions and (b) the role of psychological inflexibility and interpretation of intrusions respectively as processes of change. Participants with less dysfunctional appraisals at pretreatment performed consistently better in ERP relative to ACT+ERP. In process analyses, …

Evaluating Acceptance And Commitment Therapy And Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Self-Help Books For College Student Mental Health, Michael E. Levin, Woolee An, Carter H. Davis, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objectives: Self-help has the potential to improve access to mental health resources for college students. However, solutions are needed to improve sustainable delivery, cost- effectiveness, and to know which resources are most useful. Methods: A sample of 109 college students were randomly assigned to read either an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) self-help book through the University library website over 8 weeks with assessments at baseline, midtreatment (4-weeks), and posttreatment (8-weeks). Results: The majority of participants reported reading over half of their assigned book and high satisfaction ratings were given for both books. Both conditions …

Utilizing Act Daily As A Self-Guided App For Clients Waiting For Services At A College Counseling Center: A Pilot Study, Jack Haegar, Carter H. Davis, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Considering increasing demands for mental health services at college counseling centers (CCCs), there is a need for cost-effective solutions that avoid depleting stressed CCC resources. This study examined if ACT Daily, a mobile application based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), could serve as an effective self-guided intervention.

Participants: 11 individuals on a CCC waitlist suffering from anxiety/depression participated in the study over 2 weeks.

Methods: This study implemented a pre-post, open trial design of ACT Daily. Assessments were completed at baseline and 2-week post assessment.

Results: Results indicated that ACT Daily was acceptable and that participants improved on …

Comparing The Efficacy Of Defusion, Self-As-Context, And Distraction Strategies For Getting Rid Of Possessions, Clarissa W. Ong, Carina L. Terry, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Interventions for hoarding disorder need to target difficulty letting go of items to reduce clutter and improve functioning. The present studies were designed to test the efficacy of brief cognitive interventions for letting go of possessions and self-report outcomes. Participants (N = 67 in Study 1; N = 110 in Study 2) received training on defusion or distraction in Study 1 and defusion, self-as-context, or distraction in Study 2 and completed measures at pre- and postintervention. Study 1 found no differences between defusion and distraction on saving, self-rated discomfort with discarding, or perceived importance of the target belonging. In …

Examining Processes Of Change In An Online Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Dismantling Trial With Distressed College Students, Michael E. Levin, Jennifer Krafft, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

This secondary analysis examined the processes of change from a randomized dismantling trial evaluating the Open (i.e., cognitive defusion, acceptance) and Engaged (i.e., values, committed action) components of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Analyses were conducted with 161 distressed college students randomly assigned to a full online ACT program (Full n=40), online ACT targeting the Open components (Open n=41) or targeting the Engaged components (Engaged n=39), or a waitlist condition (Waitlist n=41). The intervention occurred over six weeks followed by a post-treatment assessment with mental health symptoms as the primary outcome. Consistent with predictions, pre- to …

A Psychometric Comparison Of Psychological Inflexibility Measures: Discriminant Validity And Item Performance, Clarissa W. Ong, Benjamin G. Pierce, Julie M. Petersen, Jennifer L. Barney, Jeremiah E. Fruge, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Psychological inflexibility is a rigid behavioral pattern that interferes with engagement in personally meaningful activities; it is the hypothesized root of suffering in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Thus, the quality of its measurement affects the research, theory, and practice of ACT. The current study aimed to evaluate the discriminant validity and item performance of four measures of psychological inflexibility: the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire—II (AAQ-II), a revised version of the AAC-II (AAQ-3), the Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ), and the Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes (CompACT). We analyzed data from community (n = 253), student …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Perfectionism And Neurological Functioning, Julie M. Petersen, Clarissa W. Ong, Allison S. Hancock, Ronald B. Gillam, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Clinical perfectionism is the rigid pursuit of high standards, interfering with functioning. Little research has explored neural patterns in clinical perfectionism. The present study explores neural correlates of clinical perfectionism, before and after receiving ten 50-minute, weekly sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as compared to low-perfectionist controls, in specific cortical structures: the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), right inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Participants in the perfectionist condition (n = 43) were from a randomized controlled trial evaluating ACT for clinical perfectionism and low-perfectionist controls were undergraduate students (n = 12). Participants completed three tasks (editing …

A Preliminary Investigation Of The Effect Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy On Neural Activation In Clinical Perfectionism, Clarissa W. Ong, Allison S. Hancock, Tyson S. Barrett, Eric B. Lee, Nicholas Wan, Ronald B. Gillam, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Clinical perfectionism is associated with various cognitive processes including performance monitoring and emotion regulation. This exploratory study analyzed neurological data from a randomized controlled trial for clinical perfectionism that compared acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to a waitlist control. The objective was to assess the effect of ACT on neural activation. Twenty-nine participants underwent a functional near-infrared spectroscopy assessment during which they completed behavioral tasks designed to elicit error detection and error generation at pre- and posttreatment. The hemodynamic response function (HRF) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and right inferior parietal lobe was analyzed using mixed effects …