Bender, Rogers, & Bardeen. 2020
Maladaptive posttraumatic cognitions are considered an important factor in conceptualizing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, negative beliefs about self, the world, and self-blame regarding the traumatic event are all associated with more severe PTSD symptoms and are targets of cognitive treatments of PTSD (e.g., cognitive processing therapy).
Cox, D. W., Motl, T. C., Myfanwy Bakker, A., & Lunt. R. A. (2018) Cognitive fusion and post-trauma functioning in veterans: Examining the mediating roles of emotion dysregulation
When cognitively fused, people have difficulty accepting and clearly perceiving their internal experiences. Following trauma, emotional non-acceptance and emotional non-clarity have been associated with post-trauma functioning.
Evaluation of a web-based acceptance and commitment therapy program for women with trauma-related problems: A pilot study
The current pilot study examined the acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy of a brief web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention for the treatment of trauma-related psychological difficulties in interpersonal trauma survivors.
Posttraumatic stress symptom severity and functional impairment in a trauma-exposed sample: A preliminary examination into the moderating role of valued living
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is associated with functional impairment in social, occupational, and physical domains. Similar to other forms of psychopathology, research suggests the correlation between symptom severity and functional impairment is moderate and this relationship varies across studies.
Experimentally reducing event centrality using a modified expressive writing intervention
Event centrality, the extent to which one perceives a stressful or traumatic event as central to one's identity, has been shown to be one of the predictors of PTSD symptoms. Boals and Murrell (in press) found that an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based, therapist-led treatment resulted in significant decreases in event centrality, which in turn led to decreases in PTSD symptoms.
Bardeen, J. R., & Fergus, T. A. (2016). The interactive effect of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance on anxiety, depression, stress and posttraumatic stress symptoms.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a popular transdiagnositic treatment approach, is based on the central tenant that human suffering develops and is exacerbated by psychological inflexibility. Cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance are two interrelated processes central to psychological inflexibility.
The moderating role of experiential avoidance in the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and cannabis dependence
The relationship between cannabis use and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has received increased scientific scrutiny in recent years. Consistent with this research, studies provide evidence that many individuals with PTSD use cannabis to reduce negative affect and other unpleasant internal experiences associated with PTSD. However, no research to date has explored factors that may be associated with an increased likelihood of cannabis misuse among individuals with PTSD.