Despite being a popular target for research in psychology, perfectionism has been difficult to define. However, researchers generally agree that self-imposed perfectionism involves setting yourself overly high, and often unrealistic, standards for what you want to achieve, along with making huge efforts to reach these standards, being self-critical when you …
Read More »Can you see what I see? A comparison of client and observer perspectives of the alliance and group cohesion in CBT
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for many mental health disorders, but not everyone benefits from therapy. While some studies have shown over 80% respond to treatment, others have observed rates as low as 38%. Why does CBT work for some, but not others? People who try therapy …
Read More »Insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of depression and COVID-19-related risk factors
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light how much we rely on our routines and the downstream consequences when our habits are forced to change. Good, regular sleep relies on good sleep hygiene including waking up at the same time every day, having access to sunlight during the day, and …
Read More »COVID-related fear maintains controlling parenting behaviors during the pandemic
Around the world, people are experiencing increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and various other negative mental health consequences as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These mental health consequences have stemmed from several sources, including uncertainty regarding the nature of the threat of COVID-19 and associated best safety …
Read More »The role of fear of COVID-19 in motivation to quit smoking and reductions in cigarette smoking: a preliminary investigation of at-risk cigarette smokers
In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic (late April 2020 to late May 2020), we conducted an online survey study evaluating a range of clinical and health behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of our survey, media articles and public health agencies were reporting …
Read More »Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of first responders
First responders, including firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, and law enforcement officers, are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, first responders have been understudied as compared to healthcare workers with regard to mental health during the COVID-19 crisis. This study represents, to the best of our …
Read More »Anxiety Sensitivity, COVID-19 Fear, and Mental Health: Results From a United States Population Sample
The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly had global physical, social, economic, and psychological impact worldwide. Across the world, there are approximately 95 million cases of COVID-19 with over 2 million people who have died as a result (https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html). In the United States, approximately 400,000 people have died with over 2 million …
Read More »COVID-19 Psychological Factors Associated with Pain Status, Pain Intensity, and Pain-related Interference
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world practically overnight, having infected close to 100 million people, 2 million of which have died. Significant efforts have been made to develop a vaccine to slow the spread of the disease, but this approach neglects a number of important facets, including those that may …
Read More »Getting down to business: an examination of occupational outcomes in cognitive behavioral therapy for depression
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for people with depression. Decades of research has found CBT reliably reduces symptoms of depression for many people (Strunk et al., 2017). However, reducing symptoms of depression is not the only goal clients have when starting a course of CBT. Many people in …
Read More »Difficulties with emotion regulation and drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduates: the serial mediation of COVID-related distress and drinking to cope with the pandemic
As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread rapidly across the U.S., the impact of the pandemic on behavioral and mental health remain unclear. Although it is normative to experience anxiety and fear in the face of an on-going health threat such as the COVID-19 pandemic, some individuals may …
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