Web-based interpretation bias training to reduce anxiety: A sequential, multiple-assignment randomized trial.

Objective: Web-based cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I) can improve interpretation biases and anxiety symptoms but faces high rates of dropout. This study tested the effectiveness of web-based CBM-I relative to an active psychoeducation condition and the addition of low-intensity telecoaching for a subset of CBM-I participants.

Method: 1,234 anxious community adults (Mage = 35.

Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Direct-to-Consumer Marketing Video About Patients' Right to Evidence-Based Mental Health Care.

This study evaluated the impact of a direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing video designed to educate the public about patients' rights to evidence-based mental health care (EBMHC). Participants ( N = 632) were randomly assigned to an active DTC video condition, a control video condition, or a control condition without a video. Participants who watched the DTC video ( vs .

Development and validation of the Telepsychology Facilitators Scale: A national study.

This study developed and validated the Telepsychology Facilitators Scale (TFS), a novel measure that uses the theory of reasoned action and technology acceptance model as frameworks to assess factors that influence psychologists' openness to using telepsychology. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, an online sample of 2,619 psychologists completed initial items considered for the TFS, along with a measure assessing their actual use of telepsychology. The sample was split in half, with a preliminary exploratory factor analysis ultimately revealing a 13-item general scale with four distinct subscales (Positive Attitudes, Facilitating Infrastructure, Organizational Support, and External Policies).

More than one way to say I love you: An Internet-based intervention for training flexible thinking in romantic relationships.

Objectives: This study developed and pilot-tested an adaptation of Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) to target two aspects of relational flexibility in couples: the ability to generate alternative perspectives, and the ability to respond nondefensively when alternative partner perspectives are raised within challenging relationship situations (referred to as flexibility in partner perspectives).

Methods: CBM-FlexC training materials were developed in Phase 1, and expert users (N = 4) and end-point users (N = 7) provided qualitative feedback. Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of CBM-FlexC were evaluated in Phase 2, using an online sample of distressed couples (N = 18).

Digital Mental Health Services: Moving From Promise to Results.

The papers in this special issue make a compelling case for the value of digital mental health services (DMHS; including technology-based interventions, assessments, and prevention programs) to help address some of the currently unmet needs in mental health care. At the same time, the papers highlight the work that needs to be accomplished for DMHS to fulfill their promise. We review the papers' contributions in terms of (a) the imperative to increase access to evidence-informed, high-quality care, especially for underserved populations, both in the United States and globally; (b) ways to use DMHS to improve the ways that clinical care is provided to make treatment provision more effective and efficient; and (c) the current state of the research on DMHS for emotional disorders.

Lessons Learned: Providing Supportive Accountability in an Online Anxiety Intervention.

Technology-delivered interventions have the potential to help address the treatment gap in mental health care but are plagued by high attrition. Adding coaching, or minimal contact with a nonspecialist provider, may encourage engagement and decrease dropout, while remaining scalable. Coaching has been studied in interventions for various mental health conditions but has not yet been tested with anxious samples.

The relationship between access to mental health resources and use of preferred effective mental health treatment.

Objective: This study examined whether variables related to unequal access to mental health resources (including Black and Latinx racial-ethnic group membership, lower education level, and lower number of community-level treatment providers, and facilities) were associated with current mental health treatment use; and, whether these variables moderated the likelihood that individuals would receive their preferred effective treatment.

Methods: In a preregistered (osf.io/z28wr) study, 5626 individuals completed a mental health history form and measures of implicit and explicit beliefs about the effectiveness of therapy versus medication.

Implicit and Explicit Beliefs About the Effectiveness of Psychotherapy vs. Medication: A Large-Scale Examination and Replication.

One exploratory study (N = 10,335) and one preregistered replication and extension study (N = 6648) evaluated implicit and explicit beliefs in the effectiveness of psychotherapy versus medication, and whether these beliefs vary as a function of demographics, mental health difficulties, and treatment experiences. Data were collected from a sample of visitors to a mental health research website who completed the Therapy vs. Medication Effectiveness Implicit Association Test (IAT).

Associations of Body Weight and Waist Circumference with Psychopathology, Substance Use, and Well-Being in an Adult Transdiagnostic Sample.

Background: Prior studies have established inconsistent associations between body weight and mental health. However, most work has relied on body mass index (BMI) and examination of a single mental health variable. The present study examined associations of BMI and waist circumference with multiple mental health variables in a transdiagnostic psychiatric sample.

Predictors of affect following discharge from partial hospitalization: a two-week ecological momentary assessment study.

Background: Little is known about the everyday experiences of individuals transitioning from acute to outpatient psychiatric care, an important period of risk for mood symptom relapse. This study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine whether specific daily experiences were related to momentary affective states following discharge from a partial hospitalization program (PHP).

Methods: A sample of 114 adults (Mage = 36 years old, 52% female, 83% White) completed four brief EMA surveys every day for 2 weeks assessing intensity/type of stressful events and social contact, as well as positive/negative affect (PA/NA).

Awareness of and attitudes toward CBT, DBT, and ACT in an acute psychiatric sample.

Objective: Treatment utilization for psychiatric illness is low, perhaps influenced by limited consumer knowledge of evidence-based psychological treatments (EBPTs). To inform consumer-directed dissemination efforts, we characterized preferences, beliefs, and knowledge about specific EBPTs (cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT], dialectical behavior therapy [DBT], and acceptance and commitment therapy [ACT]); and examined potential sociodemographic and treatment history correlates.

Method: Before receiving treatment at a psychiatric partial hospital, patients (n = 249) completed the Psychological Treatment Consumer Questionnaire.

Smartphone, Social Media, and Mental Health App Use in an Acute Transdiagnostic Psychiatric Sample.

Background: Despite high rates of smartphone ownership in psychiatric populations, there are very little data available characterizing smartphone use in individuals with mental illness. In particular, few studies have examined the interest and use of smartphones to support mental health.

Objective: This study aimed to (1) characterize general smartphone app and social media usage in an acute transdiagnostic psychiatric sample with high smartphone ownership, (2) characterize current engagement and interest in the use of smartphone apps to support mental health, and (3) test demographic and clinical predictors of smartphone use.

Translating CBM-I Into Real-World Settings: Augmenting a CBT-Based Psychiatric Hospital Program.

Cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I) is an appealing augmentation to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) because it targets cognitive bias efficiently via computerized training. Few studies have tested the combination of CBM-I and CBT, and none have translated lab-based CBM-I protocols to an acute psychiatric setting. The present study describes the development and implementation of CBM-I as an augmentation to a CBT-based partial hospital.

Hearts and Minds: Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Unsung Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease.

Anxiety, depression, and stress are exceedingly common in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). They increase the risk of cardiac events and are associated with much worse outcomes. A causal relationships exists between anxiety/depression and adverse cardiac events such as acute myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death.

Comparing treatment response between LGBQ and heterosexual individuals attending a CBT- and DBT-skills-based partial hospital.

Objective: Despite a greater need for mental health treatment in individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual minority identities (LGBQ+), no prior study has examined mental health treatment outcomes for LGBQ+ populations receiving standard care. We compared individuals identifying as LGBQ+ or heterosexual on treatment outcomes following a partial hospital program based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Method: A total of 441 participants (19% LGBQ+; mean age = 34.