Wendy Silverman, PhD, ABPP
Alfred A. Messer Professor in the Child Study Center and Professor of PsychologyCards
About
Research
Publications
2026
Mindfulness Intervention for Parent Stress and Childhood Obesity Risk: A Randomized Trial.
Fogelman N, Bernstein H, Bautista T, Savoye M, Chaplin T, Silverman W, Jastreboff A, Sinha R. Mindfulness Intervention for Parent Stress and Childhood Obesity Risk: A Randomized Trial. 2026, 157 PMID: 41786283, PMCID: PMC12989181, DOI: 10.1542/peds.2025-072230.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchChildhood obesity riskEarly childhood obesity riskChildren's food intakeHealthy food intakeObesity riskParenting stressChild BMI z-scoreSignificant time main effectPositive parentingTime main effectsBMI z-scoreWeekly group interventionFood intakeAssessment of long-term effectsRandomized Controlled TrialsPhysical activityChild BMIGroup interventionHealthy nutritionSecondary outcomesMindfulness interventionEarly childhood risksCoprimary outcomesChildhood riskInterventionAttention Focusing Moderates the Association Between Parent Anxiety and Attention Bias to Threat in Youth with Social Anxiety Disorder
Falcone M, Chong L, Buzzell G, Crowley M, Yang Y, Rey Y, Magnotti A, Lebowitz E, Lazarov A, Bar-Haim Y, Pine D, Silverman W, Pettit J. Attention Focusing Moderates the Association Between Parent Anxiety and Attention Bias to Threat in Youth with Social Anxiety Disorder. Child Psychiatry & Human Development 2026, 1-9. PMID: 41784901, DOI: 10.1007/s10578-026-01993-w.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSocial anxiety disorderAttentional biases to threatAttentional biasAnxiety disordersParental anxietySelf-ratingsYouth attentionTreatment of social anxietyFree-viewing taskSocial anxietyAttention shiftsPotential moderatorsAttentional focusAnxietyDisordersYouthModeratelyParentsSocialAttentionBiasAssociationFindingsTaskParticipantsOutcome and cost‐effectiveness of transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy compared with management as usual for youth with common mental health problems: Long‐term results from the Mind‐My‐Mind randomized trial
Vassard D, Rimvall M, Wolf R, Christensen R, Nielsen S, Plessen K, Verhulst F, Bilenberg N, Thomsen P, Thastum M, Neumer S, Pagsberg A, Silverman W, Correll C, Jeppesen P. Outcome and cost‐effectiveness of transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy compared with management as usual for youth with common mental health problems: Long‐term results from the Mind‐My‐Mind randomized trial. Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry 2026 PMID: 41774040, DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.70128.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCognitive behavioral therapyTransdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapyMental health problemsStrengths and Difficulties QuestionnaireBehavioral therapyQuality-adjusted life yearsWeekly CBT sessionsRegister-based outcomesYouth aged 6Impact of mental health problemsMental health servicesIncremental quality-adjusted life-yearsHealth problemsBaseline to 3-year follow-upIntention-to-treatCBT sessionsLong-term effectsPsychiatric diagnosisDepressive symptomsMental disordersBehavioral disturbancesCost-effectiveness ratioDifficulties QuestionnaireCost-effectiveness analysisCost-effectiveness of prevention programsChapter 14 Youth social anxiety disorder treatment
Chong L, Silverman W. Chapter 14 Youth social anxiety disorder treatment. 2026, 455-479. DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-443-14146-1.00015-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCognitive-behavioral therapyAnxiety disordersDiscussion of clinical implicationsSocial anxiety disorderSocial Effectiveness TherapyCognitive bias modificationBias modificationInterpersonal domainSubstance useOutcomes researchClinical implicationsChronic impairmentTreatment outcomesSOADAdolescentsDisordersEvaluative reviewPotential promiseChildrenAnxietyDepressionSuicideImpairmentModeratelyTreatment
2025
Risk Factors and Trajectories of Highly Dependent Adult Children (Failure to Launch): An Add Health Study
Berger U, Silverman W, Lebowitz E. Risk Factors and Trajectories of Highly Dependent Adult Children (Failure to Launch): An Add Health Study. Emerging Adulthood 2025, 14: 306-323. DOI: 10.1177/21676968251410272.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNational Longitudinal StudyAdolescent mental healthAcademic support interventionsMental health issuesSocial functioningRisk factorsMental healthPhysical risk factorsAcademic challengesAdult childrenAdd HealthAdolescentsSupport interventionsAdult HealthHealth StudyAdultsHealth issuesPersistent phenomenonHealthDeficitsParticipantsRiskPoor outcomePotential benefitsChildrenSex and age as moderators in the expression of internalizing and externalizing behaviors: insights from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
Øien R, Cogo-Moreira H, Nordahl-Hansen A, Juel E, Silverman W, Larsen K, Lebowitz E. Sex and age as moderators in the expression of internalizing and externalizing behaviors: insights from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). BMC Psychology 2025, 13: 1211. PMID: 41184907, PMCID: PMC12581308, DOI: 10.1186/s40359-025-03529-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsChild Behavior ChecklistBehavior ChecklistSex differencesAnxiety specialty clinicChild Behavior Checklist scoresHigher externalizing scoresPROCESS macroAnxiety disordersAnxiety populationJohnson-Neyman techniqueExternalizing behaviorsExternalizing problemsExternalizing scoresHayes' PROCESS macroBehavior problemsBehavioral expressionApproaches to assessmentInternalizing scoresDevelopmental periodEffect sizeOrdinary least squares regression modelsSpecialty clinicsAged 6ChecklistChildren19. TRANSMISSION OF PSYCHIATRIC POLYGENIC RISK IN PARENT-CHILD TRIOS WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS
Milanes I, Greenspun S, Lebowitz E, Chen D, Silverman W, Fernandez T, Olfson E. 19. TRANSMISSION OF PSYCHIATRIC POLYGENIC RISK IN PARENT-CHILD TRIOS WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 99: 62. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.08.124.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPolygenic risk scoresPolygenic transmission disequilibrium testParent-child triosObsessive-compulsive disorderChildhood anxiety disordersPolygenic riskWhole-genome DNA sequencingAnxiety disordersAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderWhole-exome DNA sequencingGenetic risk factorsEffect of polygenic risk scoresPsychiatric conditionsDNA sequencesPRS scoresChildhood anxietyMental health conditionsGenome architectureRisk factorsTransmission disequilibrium testGenomic studiesDevelopment of childhood anxiety disordersAnxiety Disorders ClinicRisk of childrenBackground Anxiety disordersGamified 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 And 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, 57: 162-175. PMID: 41620240, PMCID: PMC12862212, 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, PMCID: PMC12805868, 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 outcomeTreatmentSeverity
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Reducing Suicide Risk in Adolescents and Young Adults with Bipolar Disorder and Depression via a Psychobehavioral Intervention
IRB ID2000032361RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date03/31/2025Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge16 years - 29 yearsComparing F4C to Batterer Intervention
IRB ID2000026789RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date08/01/2022Recruiting ParticipantsGenderMaleAge18+ yearsTeen Binge Eating Study
IRB ID2000024926RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date02/28/2020Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge13 years - 17 yearsLinks Between Newborn Brain Connectivity and Social Development
IRB ID2000021541RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date08/31/2023Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAgeUp to 1 year 9 monthsCBT for Anxiety in Children With Autism
IRB ID1211011144RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date06/30/2020Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge8 years - 14 years
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
News & Links
News
- April 04, 2026Source: Hartford Courant
CT researchers study social media and youth mental health. Including more use versus more harm.
- March 30, 2026
Social Media and Youth Mental Health: Does More Use Always Mean More Harm?
- March 08, 2026Source: Science Daily
Parents’ Stress May Be Quietly Driving Childhood Obesity, Yale Study Finds
- December 22, 2025
Recognizing Fall 2025 Award Recipients at Yale Child Study Center
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Mailing Address
Child Study Center
230 South Frontage Road
New Haven, CT 06520
United States