Skip to main content
ABCT 2023 Annual Convention Main banner
Final Program


Program Flipbook
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
Ticketed Session
Ticketed Session
Recorded Session
Recorded Session
Back
Evaluation ViewAttendees 2

Category: Telehealth/m-Health

Symposium 12 - New Empirical Findings From A Clinical Trial of an Augmented Digital Application of the Unified Protocol for Enhancing Positive Affect and Psychological Flourishing

Friday, November 17, 2023
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM PST
Location: Chiliwack (402), Level 4
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Anxiety, Technology / Mobile Health, Emotion Regulation
Level of Familiarity: All
Recommended Readings: Barlow, D. H., Farchione, T. J., Sauer-Zavala, S., Murray Latin, H., Ellard, K. K., Bullis, J. R., Bentley, K. H., Boettcher, H. T., & Cassiello-Robbins, C. (2017). Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Therapist Guide. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med-psych/9780190685973.001.0001,   Carl, J. R., Gallagher, M. W., & Barlow, D. H. (2018). Development and preliminary evaluation of a positive emotion regulation augmentation module for anxiety and depression. Behavior Therapy, 49(6), 939–950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2017.11.008,  

Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success? Psychological Bulletin, 131(6), 803–855. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.803

,  

Eisner, L. R., Johnson, S. L., & Carver, C. S. (2009). Positive affect regulation in anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23(5), 645–649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.02.001

,  

Individuals with anxiety and depressive disorders (i.e., emotional disorders) not only struggle with downregulating negative emotions but also regulate positive emotions in ways that minimize rather than enhance them (Carl et al., 2013; Feldman et al., 2008). Symptoms of anxiety disorders are also associated with less “savoring” or maintenance of positive emotions and increased downregulation of positive emotions (Eisner et al., 2009). Also, individuals with high anxious arousal or anhedonic depression have shown a reduced tendency to maintain positive affect (PA) as assessed by startle responses following a pleasant mood induction (Larson et al., 2007). A range of processes may be involved in this excessive downregulation of positive emotions, including reduced positive emotional reactivity, avoidance or lack of approach to positive emotion-eliciting situations, inattention to positive emotional cues, negative or neutral interpretations of positive stimuli, and avoidance of positive feelings (Carl et al., 2013). 

            Few CBTs target strengths in positive emotion regulation directly (Quoidbach et al., 2015). Instead, most anxiety and depression treatments focus almost exclusively on mitigating negative emotionality (Fava & Ruini, 2003). Addressing low PA and difficulties in positive emotion regulation in emotional disorders can improve the modulation and repair of negative emotions, reduce the incidence of these disorders, and improve long-term quality of life and well-being (Ehrenreich et al., 2007; Fava & Ruini, 2003). In the short term, targeting positive emotion in individuals with emotional disorders is associated with better treatment response and lower relapse rates (Fava & Ruini, 2003; Folkman & Greer, 2000). In the long-term, positive emotional functioning is associated with greater resilience against stress and psychological dysfunction (Teismann et al., 2018) and is essential to well-being (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005), improved health outcomes (Pressman et al., 2019), and closer social relationships (Taylor et al., 2017), which contribute to eudaimonic flourishing (VanderWeele, 2017). 

            This symposium will present for the first time findings from a large, randomized clinical trial funded by the John Templeton Foundation evaluating an internet-delivered adaptation of our empirically-supported transdiagnostic CBT, the Unified Protocol (UP), that more directly and intentionally targets healthy and virtuous regulation of positive emotions (i.e., the UP+). First, Todd Farchione will provide an overview of the trial's methodology. Next, Laura Long will present results related to the primary clinical outcomes, including negative affectivity, stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Afterward, Daniella Spencer-Laitt will examine whether positive affect, character virtues, and flourishing increase in response to the original digital UP vs. the UP+. Finally, Lauren Woodard will examine whether changes in savoring are associated with improvements in emotion suppression and reductions in emotional disorder symptoms during these interventions. Elizabeth Eustis will serve as the discussant, highlighting the implications of targeting PA during transdiagnostic CBT and directions for future research.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, the learner will be able to:
  • Summarize initial results from a randomized clinical trial testing an augmented digital application of the Unified Protocol.
  • Describe the benefits of attending to positive affect regulation and flourishing during cognitive behavioral therapy for emotional disorders.
  • Understand the relationship between adaptive emotion regulation and symptoms of emotional disorders.
  • Highlight the advantages of digital interventions with regard to dissemination of empirically supported treatments.
  • Discuss the implications of these findings for future research on transdiagnostic treatment approaches.