Overview
I am a Research Fellow on an NIMH funded clinical trial: Developing rumination-focused treatment to reduce risk for depression recurrence in adolescence (RuMeChange).
The trial principal investigators are (equal co-PI) Scott Langenecker (University of Utah, Salt Lake City) and Edward Watkins, University of Exeter. This project takes the rumination-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy developed for adults by Ed Watkins at Exeter and extends it to adolescents with a history of recurrent depression, to test in consecutive clinical trials if it helps to prevent relapse in adolescence. The research also tests mechanistic hypotheses including assessment of behavioural indices of rumination and changes in functional brain connectivity (cognitive control network to default mode network) as a consequence of treatment and as a predictor of prognosis.
Qualifications
PhD Psychology (2013)
MSc Psychological Research Methods (2008)
BSc Psychology (2005)
Research group links
Research
Research interests
Rumination, cognitive control, experimental psychopathology, depression and anxiety, neurodevelopment and mental health, childhood brain injury
Research projects
Research fellow on the RuMe Change trial: Developing rumination-focused treatment to reduce risk for depression recurrence in adolescence (PIs Dr Ed Watkins and Dr Scott Langenecker).
Research grants:
September 2019-October 2020. Moberly, N. J., Roberts, H., & Karl, A. Promotion/prevention focus and rumination: A multimethod approach. British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant. £9,990.00.
November 2018 Morpeth, L, Limond, J, & Roberts, H. Bid-writing funds to evaluate Brain-in-Hand as an adjunct to psychological therapy for young people following a brain tumour. Set-Squared Scale-Up Programme. £7,500.
June 2014- May 2015 Adlam, A. & Roberts, H. Does working memory training reduce repetitive thinking (rumination and worry)? Wellcome Trust University of Exeter Institutional Strategic Support Fund. £17,394.
Publications
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by category
Journal articles
Roberts H, Moberly NJ, Cull T, Gow H, Honeysett M, Dunn B (In Press). Short-term affective consequences of specificity of rumination about unresolved personal goals.
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry Full text.
Watkins ER, Roberts H (2020). Reflecting on rumination: Consequences, causes, mechanisms and treatment of rumination.
Behaviour Research and Therapy,
127, 103573-103573.
Full text.
Kirschner H, Kuyken W, Wright K, Roberts H, Brejcha C, Karl A (2019). Soothing Your Heart and Feeling Connected: a New Experimental Paradigm to Study the Benefits of Self-Compassion.
Clinical Psychological Science,
7(3), 545-565.
Abstract:
Soothing Your Heart and Feeling Connected: a New Experimental Paradigm to Study the Benefits of Self-Compassion
© the Author(s) 2019. Self-compassion and its cultivation in psychological interventions are associated with improved mental health and well-being. However, the underlying processes for this are not well understood. We randomly assigned 135 participants to study the effect of two short-term self-compassion exercises on self-reported-state mood and psychophysiological responses compared to three control conditions of negative (rumination), neutral, and positive (excitement) valence. Increased self-reported-state self-compassion, affiliative affect, and decreased self-criticism were found after both self-compassion exercises and the positive-excitement condition. However, a psychophysiological response pattern of reduced arousal (reduced heart rate and skin conductance) and increased parasympathetic activation (increased heart rate variability) were unique to the self-compassion conditions. This pattern is associated with effective emotion regulation in times of adversity. As predicted, rumination triggered the opposite pattern across self-report and physiological responses. Furthermore, we found partial evidence that physiological arousal reduction and parasympathetic activation precede the experience of feeling safe and connected.
Abstract.
Full text.
Roberts H, Watkins ER, Wills AJ (2016). Does Rumination Cause “Inhibitory” Deficits?.
Psychopathology Review,
a4(3), 341-376.
Abstract:
Does Rumination Cause “Inhibitory” Deficits?
Inhibitory processes have been implicated in depressive rumination. Inhibitory deficits may cause difficulties in disengaging from ruminative content (e.g. Joormann, 2005), or rumination may constitute a working memory load, causing deficits in inhibitory control (e.g. Hertel, 2004). These hypotheses have different implications for the treatment of depression. We conducted a systematic review of existing evidence, and conclude that most studies do not unambiguously measure inhibition. The majority of published evidence is correlational, and thus supports neither causal direction. No published experimental studies have investigated the inhibitory deficit -? rumination causal direction, and only six have investigated the rumination -? inhibitory deficit hypothesis. In two of these studies the dependent variable has low construct validity. One study reported no effect of rumination on interference, and three did not control for mood effects. There is need for carefully designed experimental research that has the potential to investigate these proposed causal mechanisms.
Abstract.
Full text.
Roberts H, Watkins ER, Wills AJ (2013). Cueing an unresolved personal goal causes persistent ruminative self-focus: an experimental evaluation of control theories of rumination.
J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry,
44(4), 449-455.
Abstract:
Cueing an unresolved personal goal causes persistent ruminative self-focus: an experimental evaluation of control theories of rumination.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Control theory predicts that the detection of goal discrepancies initiates ruminative self-focus (Martin & Tesser, 1996). Despite the breadth of applications and interest in control theory, there is a lack of experimental evidence evaluating this prediction. The present study provided the first experimental test of this prediction. METHODS: We examined uninstructed state rumination in response to the cueing of resolved and unresolved goals in a non-clinical population using a novel measure of online rumination. RESULTS: Consistent with control theory, cueing an unresolved goal resulted in significantly greater recurrent intrusive ruminative thoughts than cueing a resolved goal. Individual differences in trait rumination moderated the impact of the goal cueing task on the extent of state rumination: individuals who had a stronger tendency to habitually ruminate were more susceptible to the effects of cueing goal discrepancies. LIMITATIONS: the findings await replication in a clinically depressed sample where there is greater variability and higher levels of trait rumination. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that control theories of goal pursuit provide a valuable framework for understanding the circumstances that trigger state rumination. Additionally, our measure of uninstructed online state rumination was found to be a valid and sensitive index of the extent and temporal course of state rumination, indicating its value for further investigating the proximal causes of state rumination.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Full text.
Chapters
Dunn BD, Roberts H (2016). Improving the capacity to treat depression using talking therapies: Setting a positive clinical psychology agenda. In Wood A, Johnson J (Eds.) Handbook of Positive Clinical Psychology.
Publications by year
In Press
Roberts H, Moberly NJ, Cull T, Gow H, Honeysett M, Dunn B (In Press). Short-term affective consequences of specificity of rumination about unresolved personal goals.
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry Full text.
2020
Watkins ER, Roberts H (2020). Reflecting on rumination: Consequences, causes, mechanisms and treatment of rumination.
Behaviour Research and Therapy,
127, 103573-103573.
Full text.
2019
Adlam A-LR, Roberts H, Telling AL, Morris K, Taylor J, Bell M, Wisniewski SR, Fabio A, Kurowski BG (2019). Genetic and environmental influences on recovery of severe paediatric brain injury: the UK study protocol.
Abstract:
Genetic and environmental influences on recovery of severe paediatric brain injury: the UK study protocol
Background and aims: There is substantial variation in recovery after pediatric traumatic brain injury (pTBI). Understanding the genetic and environmental factors influencing this variation, would allow optimization of treatments to reduce the profound negative societal and economic impact of pTBI. This study will examine the associations between genetic and environmental factors on global functioning and neurocognitive and behavioural functioning following severe pTBI.
Method: We will collect salivary DNA samples and measures of parenting and home environment from approximately 85 children in the U.K. who have participated in the international Approaches and Decisions in Acute Pediatric TBI Trial (ADAPT). The primary outcome will be global functioning assessed by the pediatric Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) at 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-injury. Secondary outcomes will include an assessment of cognitive and behavioral functioning 12-months post-injury.
Results: an analytic approach that seeks to identify genes and variants associated with recovery that are over-represented (gene-enrichment) across response to injury and neurocognitive and behavioral reserve biologic processes will be used. Mixed model analyses will evaluate the association of genotypes with recovery after severe pTBI and to elucidate the association of environmental factors with recovery. How genetic and environmental factors and genetic and early clinical factors interact to influence recovery after severe pTBI will also be evaluated.
Conclusions: the study findings will help us to better understand what determines variation in recovery following pTBI, supporting the ability to provide accurate prognosis and develop novel precision treatments.
Abstract.
Kirschner H, Kuyken W, Wright K, Roberts H, Brejcha C, Karl A (2019). Soothing Your Heart and Feeling Connected: a New Experimental Paradigm to Study the Benefits of Self-Compassion.
Clinical Psychological Science,
7(3), 545-565.
Abstract:
Soothing Your Heart and Feeling Connected: a New Experimental Paradigm to Study the Benefits of Self-Compassion
© the Author(s) 2019. Self-compassion and its cultivation in psychological interventions are associated with improved mental health and well-being. However, the underlying processes for this are not well understood. We randomly assigned 135 participants to study the effect of two short-term self-compassion exercises on self-reported-state mood and psychophysiological responses compared to three control conditions of negative (rumination), neutral, and positive (excitement) valence. Increased self-reported-state self-compassion, affiliative affect, and decreased self-criticism were found after both self-compassion exercises and the positive-excitement condition. However, a psychophysiological response pattern of reduced arousal (reduced heart rate and skin conductance) and increased parasympathetic activation (increased heart rate variability) were unique to the self-compassion conditions. This pattern is associated with effective emotion regulation in times of adversity. As predicted, rumination triggered the opposite pattern across self-report and physiological responses. Furthermore, we found partial evidence that physiological arousal reduction and parasympathetic activation precede the experience of feeling safe and connected.
Abstract.
Full text.
2016
Roberts H, Watkins ER, Wills AJ (2016). Does Rumination Cause “Inhibitory” Deficits?.
Psychopathology Review,
a4(3), 341-376.
Abstract:
Does Rumination Cause “Inhibitory” Deficits?
Inhibitory processes have been implicated in depressive rumination. Inhibitory deficits may cause difficulties in disengaging from ruminative content (e.g. Joormann, 2005), or rumination may constitute a working memory load, causing deficits in inhibitory control (e.g. Hertel, 2004). These hypotheses have different implications for the treatment of depression. We conducted a systematic review of existing evidence, and conclude that most studies do not unambiguously measure inhibition. The majority of published evidence is correlational, and thus supports neither causal direction. No published experimental studies have investigated the inhibitory deficit -? rumination causal direction, and only six have investigated the rumination -? inhibitory deficit hypothesis. In two of these studies the dependent variable has low construct validity. One study reported no effect of rumination on interference, and three did not control for mood effects. There is need for carefully designed experimental research that has the potential to investigate these proposed causal mechanisms.
Abstract.
Full text.
Dunn BD, Roberts H (2016). Improving the capacity to treat depression using talking therapies: Setting a positive clinical psychology agenda. In Wood A, Johnson J (Eds.) Handbook of Positive Clinical Psychology.
2013
Roberts H, Watkins ER, Wills AJ (2013). Cueing an unresolved personal goal causes persistent ruminative self-focus: an experimental evaluation of control theories of rumination.
J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry,
44(4), 449-455.
Abstract:
Cueing an unresolved personal goal causes persistent ruminative self-focus: an experimental evaluation of control theories of rumination.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Control theory predicts that the detection of goal discrepancies initiates ruminative self-focus (Martin & Tesser, 1996). Despite the breadth of applications and interest in control theory, there is a lack of experimental evidence evaluating this prediction. The present study provided the first experimental test of this prediction. METHODS: We examined uninstructed state rumination in response to the cueing of resolved and unresolved goals in a non-clinical population using a novel measure of online rumination. RESULTS: Consistent with control theory, cueing an unresolved goal resulted in significantly greater recurrent intrusive ruminative thoughts than cueing a resolved goal. Individual differences in trait rumination moderated the impact of the goal cueing task on the extent of state rumination: individuals who had a stronger tendency to habitually ruminate were more susceptible to the effects of cueing goal discrepancies. LIMITATIONS: the findings await replication in a clinically depressed sample where there is greater variability and higher levels of trait rumination. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that control theories of goal pursuit provide a valuable framework for understanding the circumstances that trigger state rumination. Additionally, our measure of uninstructed online state rumination was found to be a valid and sensitive index of the extent and temporal course of state rumination, indicating its value for further investigating the proximal causes of state rumination.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Full text.
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