The Anxiety Disorder Clinic is continuously conducting research to better understand Anxiety Disorder and its treatment. Ultimately, our research will help improve the assessment, treatment, and prevention of Anxiety Disorder. Ultimately we hope to understand why some people develop Anxiety Disorders, and which treatments are most effective for different people.

All research is reviewed and approved by the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects at the University of Houston.

Current Research Projects

Anxiety Disorder Treatment Outcome Evaluation

Peter Norton, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

This research study is designed to evaluate the efficacy of transdiagnostic group cognitive-behavioral therapy for Anxiety Disorder, and investigate factors that might lead to better or worse outcome. We are currently recruiting clients at the Anxiety Disorder Clinic to complete questionnaires and other assessments before and after treatment.

Intolerance of Uncertainty and Anxiety Disorders

Peter Norton, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

Given the racial diversity of the University of Houston, we have an excellent opportunity to investigate the similarities and differences in how people of different races, cultures, and ethnicities experience anxiety. We are conducting several such studies using data from the Understanding Anxiety and Depression study.

Motivational Interviewing and Treatment Engagement

Terri Barrera, M.A., Principal Investigator

This study will examine the effects of a single 90 minute Motivational Interviewing (MI) pretreatment session to a transdiagnostic group cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) protocol for anxiety. This study will test whether the MI+CBT protocol will result in increased treatment expectancies and homework compliance as well as increased motivation for change in comparison to treatment as usual (no pre-treatment).

Cognitive Restructuring vs. Cognitive Defusion in Social Fears

Terri Barrera, M.A., Principal Investigator

This study will examine the potential clinical utility of a technique termed “cognitive defusion” for reducing the impact of negative self-referential thoughts in a sample of subjects with social phobia.

Panic Attacks in Panic and Non-Panic Disorders

Lance Chamberlain, M.A., Principal Investigator

This dissertation study will examine the presence, nature, and symptom profile of panic attacks occurring in non-panic anxiety disorders.

Impact of Depression on Outcomes in CBT for Anxiety

Kelly Green, Ph.D. & Adriana Osegueda, B.A., Co-Principal Investigators

This project serves to examine the impact of comorbid depression on response to treatment for primary anxiety disorders.

Predictors of Treatment Disadoption

Partha Krishnamurthy, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

In this research, we examine two plausible predictors of dropout for psychotherapy programs, the level of illness (anxiety) and rate of progress from where the patient started.

Cultural Manifestations of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms

Radhika Reddy, B.A., Principal Investigator

Religiosity has been frequently linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as religious obsessions (also referred to as scrupulosity) are a common theme in this disorder. However, most of this research has focused on western religions such as Christianity. This study addresses the need for OCD research in diverse religious contexts.

Emotional Expression and Anxiety

Angela Smith, M.A., Principal Investigator

Current treatments for anxiety disorders (ADs) focus heavily on cognitive and behavioral aspects of anxiety and address other emotions to a far lesser extent. The current study examines the appraisal of specific aversive emotions in relation to anxiety symptomatology.

Test Anxiety

Derek Szafranski, M.A., Principal Investigator

Research suggests that test anxiety is associated with a number of maladaptive factors. The majority of test anxiety research includes the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) as a primary outcome variable. However, the TAI was normed on college undergraduates in 1980. The academic landscape has altered in a variety of ways in the past 30 years, which may result in out-of-date norms. This study examined changes in TAI norms and convergent validity in college undergraduates.