The Anxiety Lab is led by Dr. Janine Olthuis and includes graduate students in clinical and experimental psychology, Honours students, and volunteers interested in studying anxiety sensitivity, exercise-based interventions, and digital mental health.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Janine Olthuis | BA (Hon) Smith College | PhD (Clinical Psychology) Dalhousie University
I am an Associate Professor in Psychology at UNB, where I started in 2016. After receiving my BA(Hon) in Psychology at Smith College, I completed a Vanier-funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at Dalhousie University and a CIHR-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the IWK Health Centre. My research explores ways to increase access to evidence-based psychological interventions. This includes investigating: (1) e-mental health interventions, (2) transdiagnostic interventions (i.e., interventions focused on treating shared risk factors, most notably anxiety sensitivity), and (3) the use of physical exercise in mental health treatment. My interests are grounded in cognitive behavioural theories with a focus on anxiety and related disorders (e.g., depression, trauma, substance use). I also study psychosocial risk factors for substance use among young people, particularly student-athletes. I am a Licensed/Registered Psychologist in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and am an active advocate for psychology and psychologists with the College of Psychologists of New Brunswick. Outside of work, I love hiking and backcountry camping, playing sports, and reading a good book!
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Emma Connell | BSc (Hon), Certificate in Applied Behaviour Analysis, MA (Experimental Psychology) UNB | PhD Student (Experimental Psychology) UNB
Working with Dr. Olthuis throughout my master's degree, I investigated the association between anxiety and depression and physical activity in people with spinal cord injuries. My research focuses on the mechanisms in the association between physical activity and mental health, such as anxiety sensitivity. I have investigated the role of anxiety sensitivity in the relation between physical activity and mental health in various populations (i.e., clinically diagnosed with anxiety and mood disorders, people with physical disabilities) as well as the relation of anxiety sensitivity to other outcomes such as sexual well-being. I plan to continue my research in people with spinal cord injuries, investigating the experience of physical activity in this population and which mechanism(s) might best explain the association between their physical activity and mental health. My dissertation looks at the association between physical activity and mental health in people with spinal cord injuries.
Jennifer McWilliams | BSc (Hon) UNB | PhD Student (Experimental Psychology) UNB
My doctoral dissertation examines the individual- and environmental/systemic-level factors that influence Canadian allied health professionals’ recommendation of exercise as a treatment for anxiety. My broader research interests include the psycho-social impact of social and cultural practices on the daily lives of marginalized populations and women in male-dominated occupations; the effects of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination on racial and ethnic minorities; and the relationship between exercise and mental health and well-being. In addition to my dissertation research, I am investigating whether exercise buffers the negative effects of racial microaggressions on racial minorities’ quality of life and well-being.
Louise Bell | BSc (Hon), MSc (Experimental Psychology) Memorial University of Newfoundland | PhD Student (Clinical Psychology) UNB
When I started my PhD in clinical psychology, I completed my Advanced Research Apprenticeship in understanding how athlete identity and athlete-specific drinking motives indirectly influence student athletes' drinking behaviours. As I began my clinical training, my clinical interests of child, adolescent, and family mental health and health psychology helped to shape my research interests. As such, my PhD dissertation examines various predictors of engagement in social media support groups among parents/caregivers of children with cancer. The study will also examine the association between support group use and mental health (i.e., symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress).
Taylor McAulay | BA (Hon) UNB | MSc (Psychology) Acadia University | PhD Student (Clinical Psychology) UNB
My research focuses on the intersection between exercise, sport participation, and mental health. This includes using exercise as a mental health intervention, mental health in sport, and sport participation behaviour. My honours thesis examined the association between physical activity and well-being among undergraduate students undergoing an exercise program. For my master’s thesis, I shifted focus to explore how attachment style relates to technology-based addictions. When I began my PhD, I completed my advanced research apprenticeship project which involved a qualitative study examining how university athletes understand, interpret, and cope with anxiety sensitivity. I am currently completing my dissertation, a prospective study of adolescent sport dropout, with a particular interest in how reasons for dropout vary by age and gender.
Emma Giberson | BSc (Hon), MAPRE UNB | PhD Student (Clinical Psychology) UNB
My research is focused on increasing access to evidence-based mental health interventions. This includes investigating interventions that address barriers to care, such as internet-based interventions. As part of this research, I am passionate about improving access to mental health care for individuals living in rural communities. My most recent research projects seek to understand rural residents’ willingness to engage in strategies to overcome barriers to receiving mental health care and how to improve these strategies, predicting intention to deliver e-therapy, developing a measure of perceived competence in e-therapy, and examining the state of training for e-therapy in Canada. My dissertation is looking to understand individual factors and intervention characteristics that influence individual’s preference, acceptance of and willingness to use iCBT. My honours project investigated the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and substance use and the moderating role of outcome expectancies and the mediating role of social anxiety in this relationship. I have also contributed to a wide range of research projects in the lab such as testing the efficacy of paraprofessional delivered eNET for firefighters, investigating university students' mental health treatment preferences, testing the feasibility of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy tele-counselling program with care partners of persons living with Dementia, evaluating a brief workplace intervention for anxiety sensitivity aimed at reducing risk for posttraumatic stress in first responders, and improving e-mental health care access for parents and caregivers struggling with anxiety and/or depression.
Mehrdad Khanifam | BSc (Psychological Science) | PhD Student (Clinical Psychology)
My research focuses on anxiety, depression, and understanding their underlying risk and protective factors. As a part of a larger international study, my honours thesis examined the role of loneliness, economic worries, and contamination worries in predicting anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in 10 countries. Currently, I am looking at how anxiety sensitivity affects academic performance and how physical activity and perceived social support may mediate this relationship. Outside of research and clinical work, I enjoy doing pottery.
Jay Nero | BA (Hon) St. Francis Xavier University | PhD Clinical Psychology
My research interests have varied considerably over the course of my academic career. My honours thesis at St. Francis Xavier University examined the impact of multiple sclerosis on networks of attention using electroencephalography (EEG). Since starting my graduate work at UNB, I completed an advanced research apprenticeship project exploring risk assessment and risk management practices among professionals working with intimate partner violence. I am currently completing my dissertation, which is exploring the impacts of cumulative traumatic exposure on posttraumatic growth outcomes among Canadian first responders, and the influence of perceived organizational belonging on first responders’ capacity of cognitively process their traumatic experiences.
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Mary Anne Campbell
Kylee Speedy | BSc (Hon), MA Student (Experimental Psychology) UNB
I am a first-year Master of Arts student in Experimental Psychology with a research focus on athlete burnout and motivation. As a varsity athlete on the UNB women’s basketball team, my academic interests are closely informed by my lived experience in high-performance sport. My research interests include Self-Determination Theory, basic psychological needs, motivation, and the mental health of athletes. In my honours thesis, I examined the role of fulfilling basic psychological needs in reducing burnout among adolescent athletes. My current master’s thesis investigates autonomy-supportive coaching and athlete burnout in Canadian university varsity athletes, with the goal of better understanding how coaching environments shape athlete well-being and persistence in sport.
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Ryan Hamilton
HONOURS STUDENTS
Samantha Toner
Hononurs Thesis: Psychological Barriers to Physical Activity Following Spinal Cord Injury: The Roles of Anxiety Sensitivity and Kinesiophobia
Sarah Doyle
Honours Thesis: Development of a Measure of State Psychological Stress For Athletes
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Ryan Hamilton
Andreea Vasiliu
Honours Thesis: Patient Perspectives on the Implications of Monochorionic Diamniotic Twin Pregnancy on Mental Health
Interested in Joining Our team?
The Anxiety Lab welcomes inquiries from students eager to contribute to our research. Contact us to learn about current opportunities in the lab and how you can contribute!