Wendy Silverman, PhD, ABPP
Alfred A. Messer Professor in the Child Study Center and Professor of PsychologyCards
About
Research
Publications
2025
Gamified Attention Bias Modification Training to Augment Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Byrne M, Haller S, Linke J, Lewis K, Berman E, Henry L, Pagliaccio D, Quezada D, Meyer M, Abend R, Kircanski K, Silverman W, Lazarov A, Bar-Haim Y, Brotman M, Pine D. Gamified Attention Bias Modification Training to Augment Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2025 PMID: 40850530, PMCID: PMC12464829, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2025.08.010.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAttention bias modification trainingPediatric Anxiety Rating ScaleCognitive-behavioral therapyFunctional magnetic resonance imagingBias modification trainingClinical Global Impression-ImprovementAmygdala connectivityAnxiety disordersModification trainingResponse to CBTYouth anxiety disordersAttentional bias taskAnxiety Rating ScaleSeed-based connectivityHealthy controlsTest-retest reliabilityAnxious youthBias taskPosttreatment anxietySymptom reductionNeural mechanismsTreatment respondersRandomized Controlled TrialsGroup differencesCortical regionsFamily Accommodation of Pediatric Irritability: Development and Psychometric Properties of the Family Accommodation Scale for Irritability
Whiting C, Fling K, Meigs J, Naim R, Haller S, Henry L, Silverman W, Lebowitz E, Brotman M, Tseng W. Family Accommodation of Pediatric Irritability: Development and Psychometric Properties of the Family Accommodation Scale for Irritability. Behavior Therapy 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2025.07.006.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConfirmatory factor analysisFamily Accommodation ScaleFamily accommodationTwo-factor modelPediatric irritabilityAccommodation ScaleDivergent validityInternal consistencyCross-informant agreementTest factor structureMental health concernsChild irritabilityFactor structureSymptom severityChild reportsChild distressParent reportPsychometric propertiesClinician reportsIntervention targetsChild sexFactor analysisAged 8Family routinesChild ageUsing Machine Learning to Predict Treatment Outcome in a Concatenated Dataset of Youth Anxiety Treatments
Norris L, Stanojevic M, Skriner L, Chu B, Aalberg M, Silverman W, Bodden D, Piacentini J, Obradovic Z, Kendall P. Using Machine Learning to Predict Treatment Outcome in a Concatenated Dataset of Youth Anxiety Treatments. Child Psychiatry & Human Development 2025, 1-17. PMID: 40608185, DOI: 10.1007/s10578-025-01873-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCognitive behavioral therapyYouth anxiety treatmentAnxiety treatmentIndividual cognitive behavioral therapyFamily cognitive behavior therapyIndicators of symptom severityFamily CBTBehavioral therapySymptom severityRandomized Controlled TrialsResearch clinicTreatment outcomesTrial effectsExternal validation sampleValidation sampleTreatment typeSertralineSRTPredictive featuresLearningOutcomesYouthPoor outcomeTreatmentSeverityAddressing international research challenges in child and adolescent mental health during global crises: experience and recommendations of the Co-SPACE international consortium
McMahon J, March S, Oakes M, Silverman W, Creswell C, Rowe A, Rajabi M, Skripkauskaite S. Addressing international research challenges in child and adolescent mental health during global crises: experience and recommendations of the Co-SPACE international consortium. Child And Adolescent Psychiatry And Mental Health 2025, 19: 62. PMID: 40442826, PMCID: PMC12123706, DOI: 10.1186/s13034-025-00918-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMental healthFamily mental healthMental health researchMental health symptomsAdolescent mental healthPublic health crisisHealth researchHealth symptomsInternational ConsortiumMobilisation of resourcesLong-term trajectoriesLongitudinal researchRobust evidenceClinical practiceHealth crisisCross-culturallyCompare findingsCOVID-19 pandemicEthical reviewHealthYoung peopleResearch designCountry-level dataEffective supportPandemic impactInvestigating the familiality of trichotillomania and excoriation disorder
Chen D, Farhat L, Lebowitz E, Silverman W, Bloch M, Fernandez T, Olfson E. Investigating the familiality of trichotillomania and excoriation disorder. Psychiatry Research 2025, 350: 116560. PMID: 40449230, PMCID: PMC12179820, DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116560.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSelf-reported family historyFamily history of mental health disordersFirst-degreeHistory of mental health disordersFamily historyExcoriation disorderFamily history of individualsMental health historyMental health disordersFamily history of anxietyHistory of anxietyCross-sectional survey responsesFirst-degree relativesHigher RatesHealth historyHealth disordersSurvey responsesAged 4Genetic studiesEtiological underpinningsTrichotillomaniaSmall studyAnxietyDepressionIndividuals11. Reduced Centromedial Amygdala Recruitment in Youth Independently Regulating Fear During a Parent-Focused Treatment for Pediatric Anxiety
Keding T, Kitt E, Broussard A, Ho G, Weeks G, Zacharek S, Nardini C, Hommel G, Marin C, Silverman W, Lebowitz E, Gee D. 11. Reduced Centromedial Amygdala Recruitment in Youth Independently Regulating Fear During a Parent-Focused Treatment for Pediatric Anxiety. Biological Psychiatry 2025, 97: s78. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.02.201.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConsidering Historical Context, Current Societal Trends, and Implications for Understanding Harm in Youth Mental Health Treatment: A Broader Lens to the Primum Non Nocere Special Issue
Silverman W, Spencer S. Considering Historical Context, Current Societal Trends, and Implications for Understanding Harm in Youth Mental Health Treatment: A Broader Lens to the Primum Non Nocere Special Issue. Research On Child And Adolescent Psychopathology 2025, 53: 817-830. PMID: 40304872, DOI: 10.1007/s10802-025-01324-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsYouth mental health treatmentMental health treatmentHealth treatmentStudies of psychotherapyDomains of theoryClinical psychologyPsychological treatmentYouth treatmentTarget articleTreatment movementSalutary outcomesPseudoscientific interventionsEthical mandateYouthUnderstudied areaKnowledge of potential harmsYouth populationPsychotherapyQuestions of benefitClinical strategiesPutative benefitsSocietal trendsPsychologySkepticism of scienceHarmEffectiveness of a group intervention to improve mental health in siblings of children with chronic disorders: a cluster randomized controlled trial
Kirchhofer S, Fredriksen T, Orm S, Botta M, Zahl E, Cogo-Moreira H, Prentice C, Vatne T, Haukeland Y, Silverman W, Fjermestad K. Effectiveness of a group intervention to improve mental health in siblings of children with chronic disorders: a cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal Of Pediatric Psychology 2025, 50: 443-453. PMID: 40146207, PMCID: PMC12206298, DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaf021.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSibling mental healthComplier average causal effectParents of childrenMental healthRandomized Controlled TrialsParent-child communicationIntention-to-treatSiblings of childrenCluster Randomized Controlled TrialChronic disordersImprove mental healthMental health problemsEligible siblingsPrimary careIntervention groupGroup interventionPreventive interventionsHospital settingWaitlist controlPrevention programsAverage causal effectHealth problemsManual-basedSecondary outcomesControlled TrialsBrain functional connectivity and anatomical features as predictors of cognitive behavioral therapy outcome for anxiety in youths
Zugman A, Ringlein G, Finn E, Lewis K, Berman E, Silverman W, Lebowitz E, Pine D, Winkler A. Brain functional connectivity and anatomical features as predictors of cognitive behavioral therapy outcome for anxiety in youths. Psychological Medicine 2025, 55: e91. PMID: 40125734, PMCID: PMC12080668, DOI: 10.1017/s0033291724003131.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCognitive-behavioral therapyConnectome predictive modelingWeeks of cognitive-behavioral therapyCognitive behavioural therapy outcomeResting-state functional magnetic resonance imagingFunctional magnetic resonance imagingBehaviour therapy outcomePediatric anxiety disordersBaseline anxiety severityBrain functional connectivityAnxiety disordersAnxiety severityPediatric anxietyAnxiety diagnosesAnxiety symptomsFunctional connectivityTherapy outcomeAnxietyFirst-line treatmentTreatment responseTreatment outcomesMagnetic resonance imagingPredictive of responseFirst-lineClinical outcomesAttention Shifting Moderates the Association Between Threat Interpretation Bias and Anxiety in Youth
Modico M, Cabrera V, Jimenez S, Rey Y, Buzzell G, Silverman W, Pettit J. Attention Shifting Moderates the Association Between Threat Interpretation Bias and Anxiety in Youth. Cognitive Therapy And Research 2025, 1-9. DOI: 10.1007/s10608-025-10592-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThreat interpretation biasesAnxiety severityInterpretation biasAttentional controlAnxiety disordersAssociated with anxiety severityInterpretation bias taskPrimary anxiety disorderYouth aged 7Bias taskAttentional processesSelf-ratingsAnxietyModerating effectModeratelyYouthDisordersSeverityEmpirical examinationBiasAttentionAssociationTaskMethodsNVulnerability
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Reducing Suicide Risk in Adolescents and Young Adults with Bipolar Disorder and Depression via a Psychobehavioral Intervention
HIC ID2000032361RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date03/31/2025Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge16 years - 29 yearsComparing F4C to Batterer Intervention
HIC ID2000026789RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date08/01/2022Recruiting ParticipantsGenderMaleAge18+ yearsTeen Binge Eating Study
HIC ID2000024926RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date02/28/2020Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge13 years - 17 yearsCBT for Anxiety in Children With Autism
HIC ID1211011144RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date06/30/2020Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge8 years - 14 yearsUnderstanding regulation of visual attention and emotion in autism
HIC ID0808004146RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2022Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge4 months - 8 years
News & Links
News
- December 22, 2025
Recognizing Fall 2025 Award Recipients at Yale Child Study Center
- October 23, 2025
Investigating Positive & Negative Effects of Social Media on Youth Mental Health
- February 20, 2025Source: BMJ Mental Health
Chronotherapeutic Intervention Targeting Emotion Regulation Brain Circuitry, Symptoms, and Suicide Risk in Adolescents and Young adults With Bipolar Disorder: A Pilot Randomised Trial
- February 07, 2025
2024-2025 YCSC postdoctoral scholar travel awardees announced
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Contacts
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Appointment Number
Mailing Address
Child Study Center
230 South Frontage Road
New Haven, CT 06520
United States