This award recognizes an outstanding empirical research abstract from an early career researcher, with the goal of stimulating that person's long term participation in the ACBS conference as an outlet for presenting empirical science within the broad domain of CBS. The winner will receive a certificate and complimentary (non-transferable) registration to the ACBS World Conference.
Requirements:
The winner must be both the first author AND the presenting author of a paper accepted for oral presentation at the ACBS World Conference (one entry per person). If you completed your terminal degree within the past 7 years (or 10 years if you took time off for personal reasons such as family), you are eligible and would be considered “Early Career.” Awards are determined based on submitted abstracts/information. Invitations to apply for this award are sent to those with papers accepted either individually or as part of a symposium.
An ad hoc subcommittee of researchers in the ACBS community will read the accepted abstracts for the significance of the research question and methodological quality. CVs will be reviewed for quality of academic training and scholarship. One paper will be selected for the award. The winner will be announced on the ACBS social media, on the ACBS website, and at a plenary session at the World Conference.
Award: The winner will receive a certificate, complimentary (non-transferable) registration at 2026 ACBS Conference. This registration discount cannot be used for the 2025 conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA for any reason.
Award Recipients:
2024 ACBS World Conference - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Golnaz Atefi, Ph.D. Candidate: The use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in informal caregivers of people with dementia and other long-term or chronic conditions: A systematic review and conceptual integration.
As a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow at Alzheimer's Centrum Limburg, Maastricht University, Golnaz is dedicated to optimizing psychosocial interventions in dementia care with particular focus on acceptance an commitment therapy. Golnaz's research explored how individuals with dementia and their family caregivers who are often older adults could benefit from transdiagnostic and inclusive care through technology-based interventions, while also investigating how stakeholders and policymakers could effectively adopt technology, implement these practices, and identify their determinants.
2023 ACBS World Conference - Nicosia, Cyprus
Amanda Muñoz-Martínez, Ph.D.: Relationship of Perceived Social Connection and Supportive Relational Context with Healthy Eating Recommendation in Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients: Acceptability of an Ecological Momentary Assessment
Dr. Muñoz-Martínez is an Associate Professor at Universidad de los Andes. Amanda's research examined social connection and supportive relationships in relation to healthy eating behaviors for cardiac patients. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. Cardiac rehabilitation programs seek to promote healthy habits in people who have experienced a cardiac event in order to reduce future cardiac events and mortality. Contextual behavioral factors such as perceived social connection and supportive relational contexts (i.e., positive reinforcing) have been found as key to promoting healthy behaviors (e.g., healthy eating). Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is a behavioral interpersonal therapy focused on strengthening interpersonal functioning (e.g., intimacy) and perceived social connection. This study aimed to assess the acceptability and usability of a one-month ecological momentary assessment to evaluate the relation of perceived social connection and supportive relationships in the adherence to healthy recommendations within- and between-person. Exploratory analysis found that those who reported greater levels of perceived social connection reported higher adherence to rehab recommendations. In addition, on those days that they reported higher perceptions of social connection they tend to eat healthier food. Participants evaluated EMA as acceptable and useful for measuring their adherence to cardiac rehabilitation.
2022 ACBS World Conference - San Francisco, CA, USA
Amie Zarling, Ph.D.: A randomized clinical trial of Acceptance and Committment Therapy and the Duluth Model Classes for men court-mandated to a domenstic violence program
Dr. Zarling is an Associate Professor at Iowa State University. Her research is the first randomized controlled trial to compare Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with the Duluth Model curriculum, which took place in community-based corrections for the treatment of men convicted of domestic violence. Outcomes included criminal justice data (domestic violence charges, other violent charges, and non-violent charges) incurred during the one year following program drop-out or completion, and victim reports of intimate partner violence (IPV; aggression, controlling behaviors, and stalking/harassment). Results showed in intent-to-treat comparisons to Duluth, ACT participants did not show a difference in domestic assault charges at one year post-treatment (p = .44). ACT participants acquired significantly fewer violent charges (p = .04) and non-violent charges (p = .02) compared to Duluth participants. Data from victims indicated that victims of ACT participants reported significantly fewer IPV behaviors than victims of Duluth participants on the Conflict Tactics Scale (d = .78), the Controlling Behaviors Scale (d = .66) and the Stalking Behavior Checklist (d = .71) at one year post-treatment. Conclusions indicated an ACT-based group intervention delivered in community corrections reduced violent and non-violent criminal charges compared to the Duluth intervention. Domestic violence charges did not differ between groups but victim reports indicated that ACT participants engaged in fewer IPV behaviors.
2021 ACBS Virtual World Conference
Emily Kroska, PhD: Evaluating an ACT-based mobile micro-intervention for distressed first-generation college students
Dr. Kroska is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the University of Iowa. Her research details the findings of a randomized micro-intervention trial wherein assessments and ACT-based interventions were delivered via a mobile application for 6 weeks with distressed first-generation college students. Students completed assessments of mood, stress, and behavior twice daily, followed by randomization to assessment only versus intervention. Assessments of behavioral function indicated that 74.1% of reported behaviors were identified as values-based. Interventions emphasized openness, awareness, and engagement. Qualitative analyses indicated that 93% of free-text responses aligned with the addressed ACT process. Quantitative longitudinal results will detail proximal change in mood, stress, and behavior. Findings suggest a possible brief mobile intervention to promote self-awareness and behavioral change among an at-risk population.
2019 ACBS World Conference – Dublin, Ireland
Felicity Brown, PhD, MPsychClin: The Effectiveness of an ACT-Based Guided Self-Help Intervention for South Sudanese Refugee Women in Uganda
Dr. Brown is a Senior Researcher with War Child Holland, Netherlands. She contributed to an RCT (in partnership with HealthRight, Johns Hopkins University, the Ministry of Health Uganda, WHO, and UNHCR) to measure the effectiveness of an ACT-Based Guided Self-Help Intervention for South Sudanese Refugee Women in Uganda. The intervention was delivered in 5 workshops, using scripted audio recordings to deliver key content; ensuring fidelity and reducing training needs. Villages (n=14) were randomly assigned to receive either SH+ or enhanced usual care, and a total of 724 women participated. Results indicated significant improvements in the primary outcome of psychological distress from baseline to 3 month follow up, and significant improvements on a range of secondary outcomes.
2018 ACBS World Conference 16 - Montréal, Canada
Yuen-yu Chong: Dr. Chong is a newly minted Ph.D. in nursing from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. For her doctoral dissertation, she conducted an elegant randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of an ACT program (as compared to an education program) to help parents of young children with asthma respond more effectively to their children's asthma behaviors. This study of 168 parents, with a 96% follow-up, showed that a mere four sessions of ACT for parents lowered the risk of their child's hospital emergency room visits by 80%. That's a big deal. Her paper is very positive news for ACT research and for clinical practice.