Arts, Sciences
& Education

Victoria Cabrera

- B.S., Mathematical Economics: University of Pennsylvania

- M.S., Applied Behavior Analysis: University of Miami

- M.S., Psychology: Florida International University

- Research Interests: Assessment and treatment childhood anxiety and related internalizing disorders, interpersonal factors (parenting and peer relationships), increasing treatment engagement

- Selected Publications:

Cabrera, V.M., Patriarca, G.C., Arencibia Proenza, D., Yeguez, C.E., Wolenski, R., Rey, Y., & Pettit, J.W. (2023). Single session telehealth booster for youth who experience a return of anxiety following CBT: A case series. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice.

Cabrera, V., Buitron, V., Patriarca, G.C., Rey, Y., Lebowitz, E.R., Silverman, W.K., & Pettit, J.W. (2023). Parent accommodation contemporaneously mediates the association between youth irritability and youth anxiety treatment outcome. Behavior Therapy, 54(5), 852-862.

Buitron, V., Hill, R.M., Cabrera, V.M., & Pettit, J.W. (2022). Development and validation of a parent report measure of youth belongingness and burdensomeness. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior.

Marissa Falcone

- B.A., Psychology & Anthropology/Sociology: Lafayette College

Research interests: cognitive, interpersonal, and environmental factors influencing the development and treatment of youth anxiety disorders

Maggie Modico

- B.S., Psychology: University of Maryland

- Research Interests: Investigating neural, physiological, behavioral, and environmental precursors to anxiety, treatment of internalizing symptoms that impact functioning in early childhood

- Selected Publications:

Modico, M., & Pettit, J.W. (September 2023). Commentary on Valadez and colleagues, Development of proactive control and anxiety among behaviorally inhibited adolescents Cognitive Bias Modification News. Available: https://acbm-association.org/news

Quigley, K. M., Petty, C. R., Sidamon‐Eristoff, A. E., Modico, M., Nelson III, C. A., & Bosquet Enlow, M. (2023). Risk for internalizing symptom development in young children: Roles of child parasympathetic reactivity and maternal depression and anxiety exposure in early life. Psychophysiology, e14326

Melissa Padron

- B.A., Psychology: Florida International University

Research interests: parental accommodation of anxious youth; symptom profiles of anxiety and related disorders

Guadalupe Patriarca

- B.A., Psychology: Florida International University

- M.S., Psychology: Florida International University

- Research Interests: Improving treatment outcomes for youth with anxiety and related disorders; sociocultural factors such as acculturative stress, discrimination, and acculturation processes in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders in Hispanic/Latino families

- Selected Publications:

Patriarca, G.C., Rey, Y., Yeguez, C.E., Marin, C.E., Pettit, J.W., & Silverman, W.K. (2022). Parent involvement enhances CBTs for anxiety disorders in Hispanic/Latino youth: Acculturation as a moderator. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 90, 827-836.

Patriarca, G.C., Pettit, J.W., & Silverman, W.K. (2022). Implementing cognitive behavior therapy in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Clinical Psychology and Special Education.

Rebecca Wolenski

- B.S., Psychology: Yale University

- M.S., Psychology: Florida International University

- Research Interests: metacognitive and media-influenced factors that contribute to the maintenance of anxiety disorders; knowledge of, stigma around, and treatment seeking behavior for anxiety

- Selected Publications:

Wolenski, R., & Pettit, J.W. (2023). Social media usage is associated with lower knowledge about anxiety and indiscriminate use of anxiety coping strategies. Psychology of Popular Media.

Wolenski, R., Vaclavik, D., Rey, Y., & Pettit, J.W. (2021). Metacognitive beliefs predict cognitive behavioral therapy outcome in children with anxiety disorders. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 14, 687-703.

Carlos Yeguez

- B.S., Psychology: University of Michigan

- M.S., Psychology: Florida International University

Research Interests: treatment and prevention of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, long-term outcomes of adolescents with ADHD, bullying and violent behaviors

Selected Publications:

Musicaro, R.M., Yeguez, C., Rey, Y., Silverman, W.K., & Pettit, J.W. (2023). Anxious bullies: parent distress and youth anxiety interact to predict bullying perpetration. Child Psychiatry and Human Development.

Yeguez, C., Page, T., Rey, Y., Silverman, W.K., & Pettit, J.W. (2020). A cost analysis of a stepped care treatment approach for anxiety disorders in youth. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 49(4), 549-555.

Yeguez, C.E., Hill, R.M., Buitron, V., & Pettit, J.W. (2018). Stress accounts for the association between ADHD symptoms and suicidal ideation when stress reactive rumination is high. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 42(4), 461-467.