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AREAS OF RESEARCH

As part of Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University, the ADAPT Lab conducts ongoing research studies related to anxiety and depression. Please read more about them below!

PREVENTION

Study: Mind Action Mood (M&M) Program

Anxiety and depressive disorders are prevalent, chronic conditions that pose a significant public health threat in the United States and across the world. Despite the high prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders, individuals typically do not present for treatment for many years after the initial onset of symptoms, leading to increased disability and morbidity for sufferers and high costs for families and for society at large. Given the enormity of individual and global consequences of these conditions, many of which are cumulative and difficult to reverse, and given the obstacles related to obtaining effective treatments, efforts to prevent or delay onset of anxiety and depression are critical, particularly in youth, minority populations. In other words, teaching youth skills to manage depression and anxiety before they begin may minimize their impact and be cost effective. The Mind Action Mood (M&M) Program is a 12 session SEL curriculum that utilizes Guided Symptom Exposure (GSE) to teach students how to identify and understand their emotions and Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy (CBT) tools to manage them. Dr. McGinn and students are working on implementing this program in high schools in NYC and are evaluating the impact on student's depression and anxiety symptomology as well as academic and social functioning. We are currently working with two high schools in Harlem, NYC and continuing to collect data on student outcomes. Are you a school interested in implementing the M&M Program in your school? Contact research coordinator, Joy Shen at jshen1@mail.yu.edu.

 

Study: Mind Mood Study

The Mind Mood study was conducted by the ADAPT lab at Ferkauf in collaboration with the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center and has two main goals.  The study aims to understand the link between negative situations, sadness, negative automatic thoughts, and maladaptive coping as well as their interaction with each other among individuals with and without current symptoms and known risk factors of depression.  The second goal of the study is to prevent or minimize impact of future episodes of sadness. The research study attempts to determine if a Guided Interoceptive exposure protocol developed by Dr. Lata McGinn will help minimize future sadness in adolescents and young adults.

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Study: Prevention of Depression in Hepatitis-C Populations

The ADAPT Lab at Ferkauf conducted a research study in collaboration with Mount Sinai Medical Center. They conducted a NIH funded pilot study to determine the feasibility and preliminary effects of a guided interoceptive symptom induction augmented cognitive behavioral intervention (GSI-CBT) developed by Dr. Lata K. McGinn as a preventive intervention for depression using a randomized, controlled design in an economically disadvantaged, largely minority sample who were at risk to develop depression as a side-effect to a pharmacological substance (Interferon therapy for hepatitis C). ​

OCD

Study: OCD Workgroup

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a serious mental illness that affects millions of Americans. Part of the justification for separating OCD from the anxiety disorders in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is the increasing recognition that anxiety, though common in OCD, is not the only emotion that motivates obsessive thinking and compulsive behavior in OCD patients. Recent research has highlighted the importance of other motivating emotions, such as disgust, shame and guilt as relevant factors in OCD. However, research on these emotional factors in obsessive-compulsive symptoms remains in its nascent stages. The workgroup leaders Dr. Lata K. McGinn, Dr. Melanie Wadkins, and Dr. Michael Wheaton and students in their lab aim to conduct a systematic evaluation of guilt, shame, and disgust as factors in obsessive-compulsive symptoms. A limitation of the extant literature on this topic is that it has not taken into account the heterogeneity of OCD symptoms, which can vary a great deal from individual to individual. Recent research suggests that the variations in OCD symptoms can be distilled down into four symptom dimensions: a) contamination obsessions and cleaning compulsions; b) obsessive doubts about being responsible for harm and checking rituals; c) obsessions involving unacceptable thoughts coupled with neutralizing rituals; and d) obsessions concerning the need for symmetry or completeness and compulsions relating to ordering and arranging. In addition, some other clinical phenomena bear striking similarities with OCD and have been considered OCD-related, including hoarding symptoms as well as scrupulosity (obsessional fear of having sinned). We aim to conduct a comprehensive examination of how guilt, shame and disgust relate to these different obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

CLINICAL PROGRAM EVALUATION

The ADAPT Lab in collaboration with colleagues at Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants (CBC) is conducting studies to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs in clinical populations. Listed below are studies that are currently ongoing:

  • SAGE Foundations Program Evaluation: Emerging adulthood (ages 18 to 30) is associated with transitions, adjustments, and modifications of one’s behavior, identity, and autonomy as well as an increased vulnerability to psychological stressors. To address these challenges, experts at Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants (CBC) developed and implemented an intensive, novel, modular augmented evidence based program called System for Adult Growth and Emergence (SAGE) that specifically targets emerging adults experiencing emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal dysregulation, many of whom experience executive functioning deficits and avoidance behaviors. 

  • SAGE 2 CBT Program Evaluation

  • OCD Intensive Program Evaluation

  • Exposure Groups Program Evaluation

  • Qualitative Dropout Studies

  • Comprehensive School-based Intervention Evaluation

VULNERABILITY 

Areas of Research: PTSD and Trauma, Panic, Social Anxiety, OCD, Depression 

Dr. McGinn and students in the ADAPT Lab work to better understand cognitive vulnerability models that make people more susceptible to experiencing mental health disorders. These vulnerability models can help us better understand why someone is experiencing what they are, how to target it, and how to prevent others from developing these disorders. 

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