NCI is delighted to announce that Lecturer in Psychology Dr Phillip Hyland been awarded the prestigious Albert Ellis Award for Research. The Albert Ellis Award for Research is granted to the top academic paper on empirical research focused on Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy published in a scientific journal each year. Rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) is the foundational form of cognitive-behavioural therapy, developed by the psychologist Dr. Albert Ellis. Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy is an evidence-based theory and therapy, striving to develop all phases continuously through advanced exploratory/basic/fundamental, translational, and applied research. Award winners are invited to the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City to participate in professional clinical training in REBT.

Some details on the paper are described here:

National epidemiological studies reveal that a substantial proportion of the population will experience at least one significant traumatic experience during their lifetime. Human beings can react in a variety of ways to exposure to traumatic life events; many experience short term negative effects and recover quickly, others can flourish and grow from the experience, while still others can experience negative psychological effects that severely impact on their ability to function on a daily basis. Individuals who develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to traumatic life events experience persistent and debilitating psychological effects that include: re-experiencing the event through intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares etc.; avoidance of any reminders of the traumatic event; a constant sense of threat and danger that leads to heightened physiological arousal; and feelings of anxiety, depression, shame, and guilt. REBT theory states that the critical factor in understanding why people develop these negative psychological effects in response to a trauma primarily lies in how people think about the traumatic event. Specifically, evaluating or thinking about the traumatic event in a rigid and extreme manner (what are termed ‘irrational beliefs’) is predicted to give rise to the development of these posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Although REBT theory has enjoyed substantial empirical support from scientific research, the theory had never previously been tested in the context of posttraumatic stress responses. This study was the first to investigate the ability of REBT theory to understand posttraumatic stress responses. The study was conducted among 313 individuals who had all been exposed to a traumatic life event through their work as emergency service personnel. The sample was comprised of an international group of police officers, military personnel, and emergency workers serving in the European Union’s Rule of Law (EULEX) mission in the Republic of Kosovo. Through the use of sophisticated statistical analysis, the study found strong empirical support for the predictions of REBT theory. The results indicated that that a collection of rigid and extreme beliefs provided a very comprehensive explanation for the experience of posttraumatic stress symptoms. The most important factor in experiencing these symptoms was the development of extreme negative beliefs about one self in the aftermath of a life trauma. These results have important implications for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder as it highlights to clinicians important psychological mechanisms to target during therapy.

Hyland, P., Shevlin, M., Adamson, G., & Boduszek, D. (2014). The organisation of irrational beliefs in posttraumatic stress symptomology: Testing the predictions of REBT theory using structural equation modelling. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 70(1), 48-59. DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22009 (Epub 2013 Jun 25.) Principal author: Philip Hyland National College of Ireland Mayor Street, IFSC, Dublin 1 Ireland.

Congratulations to Dr Hyland.

Find out more information on the Albert Ellis Award or further information on Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy.

Dr Hyland lectures on our BA Honours in Psychology.