Dr. John Roberts
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
Office: 221 Park Hall
Phone: 645-3650 x. 221
E-mail (will open in a new window)

Click here for Dr. Roberts' personally-maintained web site

Summary of Research Interests:

John Roberts currently has two major lines of research interest: (1) the role of psychosocial factors in the etiology, maintenance and recovery from depressive disorders; and (2) health-related behavior and psychological functioning among HIV+ individuals. His current projects examine these issues among clinically depressed adults receiving treatment at his outpatient clinic and HIV+patients at the local county hospital's immunodeficiency clinic.

Some of Dr. Roberts' past research has examined how labile self-esteem (self-esteem that fluctuates from day-to-day) is associated with risk for the development of depressive symptoms following life stress among initially asymptomatic individuals. In contrast, among already depressed individuals labile self-esteem predicts remission from symptoms. This research suggests that labile self-esteem plays very different roles in the onset versus maintenance of depression. Dr. Roberts has used attachment theory to understand the interpersonal context in which vulnerable self-esteem develops among depression-prone persons. He also has pursued a line of research investigating how ruminative coping contributes to risk for depression, including more persistent depressive episodes. He is currently investigating how the effects of rumination vary depending on characteristics of the person (including self-esteem and inhibitory cognitive processes) and characteristics of the ruminative processing itself. In terms of his more recent research among HIV+ individuals, Dr. Roberts is particularly interested in how psychosocial processes might contribute to poor antiretroviral medication adherence.

Recent Publications:
(articles with a student as first author are denoted by an asterisk)

Depression: Structure of Sympomatology; Cognitive Characteristics; Nature of Recovery Process:

• *Priciandaro, J.J., & Roberts, J.E. (in press). A taxometric investigation of unipolar depression in the National Comorbidity Survey. Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
  
• Roberts, J.E., Carlos, E.L., & Kashdan, T.B. (in press). The impact of depressive symptoms, self-esteem and neuroticism on trajectories of overgeneral autobiographical memory over repeated trials. Cognition and Emotion.
  
• *Kelly, M.A.R., Roberts, J.E., & Ciesla, J.A. (2005). Sudden gains in cognitive behavioral treatment for depression: When do they occur and do they matter? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43, 703-714.
  
• *Gamble, S.A., & Roberts, J.E. (2005). Adolescents' perceptions of primary caregivers and cognitive style: The roles of attachment security and gender. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 29, 123-141.
  

Health Behavior, Stress and Coping among HIV+ Individuals:

• *Bottonari, K.A., Roberts, J.E., Ciesla, J.A., & Hewitt, R.G. (2005). Life stress and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV+ individuals: A preliminary investigation. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 11, 718-727.
  
• *Ciesla, J.A., Roberts, J.E., & Hewitt, R.G. (2004). Adult attachment and high-risk sexual behavior among HIV-positive patients. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34, 108-124.
  
• *Ciesla, J.A., & Roberts, J.E. (2001). A meta-analysis of risk for Major Depressive Disorder among HIV-positive individuals. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 725-730.
  
• Roberts, J.E., Ciesla, J.A., Direnfeld, D.M., & Hewitt, R.G. (2001). Vulnerability to psychological distress among HIV-positive individuals: The roles of acute stressful life events and neuroticism. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 241-257.