Nicole J Gervais

Publications (2)4.55 Total impact

• Article: A randomized clinical trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy and applied relaxation for adults with generalized anxiety disorder.

  Michel J Dugas, Pascale Brillon, Pierre Savard, Julie Turcotte, Adrienne Gaudet, Robert Ladouceur, Renée Leblanc, Nicole J Gervais
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  ABSTRACT: This randomized clinical trial compared cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), applied relaxation (AR), and wait-list control (WL) in a sample of 65 adults with a primary diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The CBT condition was based on the intolerance of uncertainty model of GAD, whereas the AR condition was based on general theories of anxiety. Both manualized treatments were administered over 12 weekly 1-hour sessions. Standardized clinician ratings and self-report questionnaires were used to assess GAD and related symptoms at pretest, posttest, and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-ups. At posttest, CBT was clearly superior to WL, AR was marginally superior to WL, and CBT was marginally superior to AR. Over follow-up, CBT and AR were equivalent, but only CBT led to continued improvement. Thus, direct comparisons of CBT and AR indicated that the treatments were comparable; however, comparisons of each treatment with another point of reference (either waiting list or no change over follow-up) provided greater support for the efficacy of CBT than AR.
  Behavior therapy 03/2010; 41(1):46-58. · 2.85 Impact Factor
• Article: The impact of written exposure on worry: a preliminary investigation.

  Natalie Goldman, Michel J Dugas, Kathryn A Sexton, Nicole J Gervais
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  ABSTRACT: The main goal of this study was to examine the effect of written exposure on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)-related symptoms in high worriers. Thirty nonclinical high worriers were randomly assigned to either a written exposure condition or a control writing condition. Self-report measures were used to assess worry, GAD somatic symptoms, depression, and intolerance of uncertainty at four time points during the study. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), the authors found that all symptoms (i.e., worry, GAD somatic symptoms, and depression) significantly decreased over time in the written exposure group (although GAD somatic symptoms also decreased in the control group). Moreover, consistent with previous findings that intolerance of uncertainty preceded changes in worry over the course of treatment, intolerance of uncertainty scores predicted subsequent scores on all symptom measures in the experimental group. In contrast, worry and depression scores predicted subsequent intolerance of uncertainty scores in the control group.
  Behavior Modification 08/2007; 31(4):512-38. · 1.70 Impact Factor