people

Curriculum Vita

Research Interests

The overarching focus of my research is on understanding individual differences in vulnerability to adverse mental and physical health outcomes, with a particular focus on gender and the Five Factor Model of personality. Specific, inter-related research areas include:

1. Individual differences in vulnerability to anxiety (worry/generalized anxiety disorder and health anxiety/hypochondriasis), depression, insomnia, physical health problems, and illness behavior. Current studies are examining:
   - stress exposure
   - affective and psychophysiological responses to laboratory stress
   - stress-related sleep disruption
   - gender differences in response to communal vs. agentic stressors


2. Cognitive/neuropsychological aspects of personality, with a particular emphasis on executive functioning (in collaboration with Yana Suchy) and examination of relations to stress responses and emotion regulation.

Education

Post-doc, Duke University Medical Center (Clinical Psychology, 1994-1996)
Pre-doc, Duke University Medical Center (Clinical Psychology, 1993-1994)
Ph.D., University of Utah (Clinical Psychology, 1995)
M.S., Illinois State University (Clinical Psychology, 1988)
B.S., University of Illinois (Psychology/Genetics and Development, 1986)

Selected Publications

Williams, P. G., Rau*, H. K., Cribbet*, M. R., & Gunn*, H. E. (in press). Openness to experience and stress regulation. Journal of Research in Personality.

Williams, P. G., Smith, T. W., Gunn*, H. E., & Uchino, B. N. (in press). Personality and stress: Individual differences in exposure, reactivity, recovery, and restoration. In R. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), Handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health. New York, NY: Springer.

Williams, P. G., Suchy, Y., & Rau*, H. K. (2009). Individual differences in executive functioning: Implications for stress regulation. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 37, 126-140.

Williams, P. G., & Thayer, J. F. (2009). Executive functioning and health: Introduction to the Special Series. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 37, 101-105.

Williams, P. G., & Moroz*, T. L. (2009). Personality vulnerability to stress-related sleep disruption: Pathways to adverse mental and physical health outcomes.Personality and Individual Differences, 46, 598-603.

Williams, P. G., Smith, T. W., & Jordan*, K. D. (in press). Health anxiety and hypochondriasis: Interpersonal extensions of the cognitive-behavioral perspective. In G. Beck (Ed.), Interpersonal processes in the anxiety disorders: Implications for understanding psychopathology and treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Williams, P. G., Smith, T. W., & Cribbet*, M. R. (2008). Personality and health: Current evidence, potential mechanisms, and future directions. In G. J. Boyle, G. Matthews, & D. H. Saklofske (Eds.), Personality theory and assessment: Vol. 1 Personality theories and models. pp. 635-658 Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

My current graduate students

Matthew Cribbet
Holly Rau
Lindsay Vaux