Dr Jay BRINKER

PhD

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Research and Supervision Interests
Current Teaching
Research Students
Qualifications
Selected Publications

My primary area of research is geriatric psychology.  Within this broad area I focus on two smaller areas: late life depression and developmental theories of aging.  Late life depression is an interesting phenomenon due to the multiple complicating factors in its diagnosis and the popular belief that old age is bleak and miserable therefore depression is somehow normal. Developmental theories require several smaller projects to test and assess a theory's validity. Further, research in this area can examine how different theories are related and interact.   

My next major geriatrics project will be to conduct treatment outcome research that may involve group and individual therapy practical training for graduate students.  Also, I hope to investigate the utility of systems theory in examining the experience of mental health treatment in older adults.

I also research cognitive factors in depression in the general adult population, specifically rumination (repetitive, recurrent, uncontrollable and intrusive thinking).  Rumination has been narrowly defined and measured for several years.  While much of the past research has been very informative, recent concerns about it’s definition and measurement now call much of what we know into question.  My research in this area is to broaden how we conceive of rumination and subsequently adjust how it is assessed.

Undergraduate:

PSYC3020 ( Health Psychology )  Co-teach with L. Reiger

Testing and Assessment (Honours Course) 

Graduate:

Research Methods in Clinical and Health Psychology

Working With Special Populations

Debra Harris (DPsych) - Is mindfulness all in the mind?  - an exploration of expectation effects and common factors in mindfulness training

Melisa Campisi (MClin) - Rumination and Problem Solving - Implications for Depressed Mood

Tram Dihn (PhD) - Systems Theory and Older Adults

Evi Susanti (MClin) - Systems Theory and Older Adults

Ph.D. - The University of Western Ontario.  London, Ontario, Canada

M.A. - The University of Western Ontario.  London, Ontario, Canada

B.A. Hons. The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Brinker, J.K., & Dozois, D.J.A. (In Press). Ruminative thought styles and depressed mood.  The Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Brinker, J.K., Harris, J.A., Guyitt, B., &Dozois, D.J.A. (2006).The importance of importance: Self descriptors in depressed mood. Journal of Individual Differences, 27, 193 - 198.

Crilly, R.G., Boudville, A., Kloseck, M., Brinker, J.K., & Weiser, M. (In Press). Risk of falling and impulsivity: A case-control study of geriatric day hospital patients. Geriatrics and Aging.

Dozois, D. J. A., Covin, R., & Brinker, J.K. (2003). Normative data on cognitivemeasures of depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Vol 71, 71-80.

Frewen, P.A., Brinker, J.K., Martin, R.A., & Dozois, D.J.A. (2008). Humor styles and personality-vulnerability to depression. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 21, 179 - 195.

Hertzprung, M. Konnert, C., & Brinker, J.K. (2004). Research Note: Development of a Worry Questionnaire for Nursing Home Residents, Canadian Journal on Aging, 23, 359 – 366.

Presentations

Brinker, J.K. (1999, May) Social Support Among Relocating Elderly. Presented at
the Annual Meeting of the Psychological Association of Alberta, Calgary, Alberta.

Brinker, J.K. (1999, May) Justification of Violence in Environmental Disputes.
Presented at the Annual University of Saskatoon Undergraduate Student Conference, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Brinker, J.K., & Dozois, D. J. A. (2003, August). A comparison of global and
depressive rumination and their relationship to current and future dysphoria. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Ontario.

Brinker, J.K., & Dozois, D.J.A. (2003, June). The categorization of life events in
the congruency hypothesis. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Hamilton, Ontario.

Brinker, J.K., Dozois, D.J.A. (2005, June). The Development of the Dispositional
Rumination Scale. To be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Montreal, Quebec.

Brinker, J.K., Harris, J.A., Guyitt, B. & Dozois, D.J.A. (2005). Personal
importance ratings of self-descriptors and mood. To be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Montreal, Quebec.

Burhan, A.M., Fisman, M., Brinker, J.K., Deutsch, L., & Rabheru, K. (2003,
January).  The Influence of Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype on anterograde memory recovery after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the depressed elderly. Presented at the Annual Meeting of Ontario psychiatric association, Toronto, Ontario.

Burhan, A.M.,  Brinker, J.K., Bol, N., Deutsch, L. , & Rabheru, K. (2002,
November). The effect of maintenance/continuation electroconvulsive therapy (M/CECT) on the quality of life in elderly patients suffering from depression. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry, Banff, AB. 

Dozois, D. J. A., Brinker, J., & Covin, R. (2002, May). Beyond congruency:
Attentional processes  and mood regulation strategies in sociotropy and autonomy.  In D. J. A. Dozois (Chair), Cognitive and personality vulnerability to depression.  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Vancouver, British Columbia (invited CPA Clinical Section symposium).

Dozois, D. J. A., Covin, R., & Brinker, J. (2002, May). Cognitive norms for
depression research and  practice. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Hertzprung, M. Konnert, C., Brinker, J.K. (1999, November). Development of a
Worry Questionnaire for Long-Term Care Residents.  Presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco, California.

Konnert, C., Hertzprung, M., & Brinker, J.K. (1999, November).Concordance on
ratings of Depression and Anxiety Among Long-Term Care Residents and Their Informants. Presented at 52nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco, California.

Works in Progress

Brinker, J.K.,Well-being and development in late life.

Brinker, J.K. Reminiscence and rumination in late live.

Brinker, J.K. The measurment of rumination: The influence of mood bias.

Brinker, J.K. Student Interest in the psychology of aging.