Research
1. Advancing quantitative methods and study design for clinical trials in psychology
My research on clinical trial methodology aims to provide novel solutions to challenges faced in clinical research and to improve the reliability and validity of clinical research. I have several recent and current projects focused on improving standardized metrics of change commonly used in psychology clinical trials, including the standardized mean difference (e.g., Cohen's d) and the reliable change index. Additionally, we recently published an adaptation of the multiverse analytic strategy, originally designed for basic science research when numerous arbitrary decision points are involved, to be used in the analysis of clinical trial data when assumptions are violated or data characteristics diverge from expectations.
Key Publications:
Crenshaw, A.O., Pukay-Martin, N., Wagner, A.C., Schobitz, R.P., Yarvis, J.S., Young-McCaughan, S., Mintz, J., Straud, C.L., Litz, B.T., Riggs, D.S., Peterson, A.L., & Monson, C.M., for the STRONG STAR Consortium (in press). Navigating analytical challenges in clinical trials using the multiverse approach. Collabra: Psychology.
Crenshaw, A.O. & Monson, C.M. (in press). Improving the reliability of the Reliable Change Index. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2025.2585286
Crenshaw, A.O., MacDonald, A., Carr, K., Shull, A., Pope, S., & Blackmon, M. (under review). Inconsistent application of the reliable change index in clinical psychology trials leads to noisy estimates of individual change. Preprint: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/d9amr_v1
2. Advancing treatments for intimate relationships
Much of my work has involved evaluating psychological interventions in clinical trials and in treatment settings, for all of which I served as the lead statistician. This work includes several publications evaluating Couple HOPES, a novel, online self-help couple intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In three uncontrolled studies, we found initial evidence of the program’s efficacy for improving PTSD, relationship functioning, and other mental health domains with this light-touch and scalable intervention. A subsequent randomized controlled trial found Couple HOPES was superior to waitlist for improving PTSD symptoms, romantic partners’ relationship satisfaction, and secondary outcomes. My work has also tested theorized mechanisms underlying modern acceptance-based couple therapies in a treatment setting, in which we found support for theories proposing that change in emotional experience underlies relationship improvement. Collectively, this research seeks to advance theoretical understanding of interventions for couples and PTSD and provide new options for treating difficult mental health problems, like PTSD, with improved reach, accessibility, scalability, and reduced cost.
Key Publications:
*Fitzpatrick, S., *Crenshaw, A.O., Valela, R., Samonas, C., Earle, E.A., Goss, S., Hernandez, K.M., Bushe, J., Varma, S., Proctor, D., Wagner, A.C., Goenka, K., Luxor, O., Collins, A., Morland, L., Shields, N., Roth, M., Doss, B.D., Schumm, J., & Monson, C.M. (2025). A randomized controlled trial testing Couple HOPES: An online, self-help couples’ intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 93(8), 580-594. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/ccp0000965. *equal contribution
Fitzpatrick, S., Crenshaw, A.O., Donkin, V., Collins, A., Xiang, A., Earle, E., Goenke, K., Varma, S., Bushe, J., McFadden, T., Librado, A., Monson, C.M. (2024). We’ve spent time, money, and effort making online self-help interventions. Is anyone going to come to the party? Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26, e58198. https://doi.org/10.2196/58198
Monson, C.M., Pukay-Martin, N.D., Wagner, A.C., Crenshaw, A.O., Blount, T.H., Schobitz, R.P., Dondaville, K.A., Young-McCaughan, S., Mintz, J., Riggs, D.S., Brundige, A., Hembree, E.A., Litz, B.T., Roache, J.D., Yarvis, J.S., & Peterson, A.L., for the STRONG STAR Consortium (2024). Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy versus prolonged exposure for PTSD in military service members and veterans: Results and lessons from a randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15(1), 2330305. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2024.2330305
Crenshaw, A.O., Whitfield, K.M., Collins, A., Valela, R., Varma, S., Landy, M.S.H., Ip, J., †Donkin, V., Earle, E., Siegel, A., Samonas, C., Bushe, J., Mensah, D.H., †Xiang, A., Doss, B.D., Morland, L., Wagner, A.C., Fitzpatrick, S., & Monson, C.M. (2023). Partner outcomes from an uncontrolled trial of Couple HOPES: A guided online couple intervention for PTSD and relationship enhancement. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 36(1), 230-238. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22878
Crenshaw, A.O., Libet, J., Petty, K., Teves, J.B., Huang, A., & Mitchell, J. (2023). Subjective emotion trajectories in couple therapy and associations with improvement in relationship satisfaction. Family Process, 62(4), 1542-1554. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12843
Fitzpatrick, S., Crenshaw, A.O., Earle, E.A., Radosavljevic, D., Kuo, J.R. (2023). The influence of sleep on emotion dysregulation in borderline personality disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and healthy controls. Psychiatry Research, 326, 115273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115273
3. Improving methodologies for studying intimate relationships
My methodological work extends to basic science research with couples in which I design and evaluate research methodologies in the study of close relationships. This line of research is typically inspired by the discovery of methodological challenges, problems, or inefficiencies that inevitably arise when conducting any substantive research, so it is ad hoc in nature. Relevant projects have included a highly-cited revision of a commonly used communication questionnaire, identifying and fixing a methodological issue in observation studies of couple communication in order to improve causal inference, and projects developing methods for studying interpersonal emotion dynamics.
Key Publications:
Crenshaw, A.O., Leo, K., Christensen, A., Hogan, J.N., Baucom, K.J.W., & Baucom, B.R.W. (2021). Relative importance of conflict topics for within-couple tests: The case of demand/withdraw interaction. Journal of Family Psychology, 35(3), 377-387. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/fam0000782
Crenshaw, A.O., Christensen, A., Baucom, D.H., Epstein, N.B., & Baucom, B.R.W. (2017). Revised scoring and improved reliability for the Communication Patterns Questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 29(7), 913-925. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/pas0000385
