Kiara Timpano, Ph.D.
Kiara Timpano
Assistant Professor, Adult Division
Florida State University, 2009
Research Interests
The primary aim of my research is to further our understanding of factors that play a role in the etiology, comorbidity, and maintenance of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. Within a translational research framework, I focus on mechanisms and integrative risk models that seek to predict symptoms and explain associated features. A secondary, yet interwoven domain is to apply vulnerability-focused research to the clinical arena, via the development and evaluation of empirically-informed treatment or prevention protocols.
Current Research
The Program for Anxiety, Stress & OCD (PASO) is conducting a number of investigations examining the bio-psycho-behavioral factors that influence the generation and maintenance of anxiety pathology. Currently, our research efforts are particularly focused on OCD and hoarding. We are investigating psychological and genetic factors that may interact with life experiences in predicting changes in OCD symptoms. These studies are being conducted with sub-clinical student samples, as well as with individuals in the perinatal perioda time that has been associated with increased risk for developing OCD. With regard to hoarding, we are conducting a series of cross-cultural investigations to better understand the phenomenology of hoarding, along with associated features. We are also studying the role of impulsivity and self-control with a series of experimental studies and within the context of the cognitive-behavioral model for hoarding.
Please see the PASO lab website for further information on going studies, as well as details regarding assessment and participation.
Selected Publications
Timpano, K.R., Keough, M.E., Traeger, L., & Schmidt, N.B. (in press). General life stress and hoarding: Examining the role of emotional tolerance. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy.
Keough, M.E., Riccardi, C.J., Timpano, K.R., Mitchell, M.A., & Schmidt, N.B. (in press). Anxiety symptomatology: The association with distress tolerance and anxiety sensitivity. Behavior Therapy.
Murphy, D.L., Timpano, K.R., Wheaton, M.G., Greenberg, B.D., & Miguel, E.C. (in press). Obsessive-compulsive Disorder and OCD-Related Disorders: A Reappraisal of OCD Spectrum Concepts. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience.
Timpano, K.R., Keough, M.E., Mahaffey, B., Schmidt, N.B., & Abramowitz, J. (in press). Parenting and Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms: Implications of Authoritarian Parenting. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy.
Reese, H.E., Timpano, K.R., Siev, J., Rowley, T., & Wilhelm, S. (2010). Behavior therapy for tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorder: A web-based video illustration of treatment components. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 17, 16-24.
Timpano, K.R., Buckner, J.D., Richey, A.J., Murphy, D.L., & Schmidt, N.B. (2009). Exploring anxiety sensitivity and distress tolerance as vulnerability factors for hoarding behaviors. Depression and Anxiety, 26, 343-53.
Timpano, K.R., Hasler, G., Riccardi, C. Murphy, D.L., & Schmidt, N.B. (2009). The Genetics of Anxiety: Recent Findings and Considerations for Future Research. In G. Berntson & J. Cacioppo (Ed.) Handbook of Neuroscience for the Behavioral Sciences, Two-Volume Set. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.