Bunmi O. Olatunji
Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Director of Clinical Training
Olatunji's primary research interest lies in cognitive behavioral theory, assessment, and therapy for anxiety disorders. He is particularly interested in the role of basic emotions other than fear in the etiology of anxiety pathology. His current research employs basic descriptive and experimental psychopathology methodology to examine the relationship between the experience of disgust and specific anxiety disorder symptoms.
Representative Publications
Olatunji, B. O., & Kim, J. (2024). Examining reciprocal relations between disgust proneness and OCD symptoms: A four-wave longitudinal study. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 82, 101907.
Olatunji, B. O., Cox, R. C., & Liu, Q., Garcia, A., & Jessup, S. C. (2023). Linking self-disgust, negative affect, and PTSD in sexual assault: An ecological momentary assessment approach. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 15, 567-575.
Olatunji, B. O., Knowles, K. A., Cox, R. C., & Cole, D. C. (2023). Linking repetitive negative thinking and insomnia symptoms: A longitudinal trait-state model. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 97, 102732.
Olatunji, B. O. & Tomarken, A. (2023). Pavlovian disgust conditioning and generalization: specificity and associations with individual differences. Behavior Therapy, 54, 1-13.
Olatunji, B. O., Cox, R. C., & Blackford, J. (2022). Fear reacquisition and symptoms of combat-related PTSD: Specificity and preliminary examination of the influence of the 5-HT3A receptor gene. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 153, 104085.
Olatunji, B.O., Cole, D., McGuire, J. F., Schneider, S. C., Small, B. J., Murphy, T. K., Wilhelm, S., Geller, D. A., & Stroch, E. A. (2022). Decoupling of obsessions and compulsions during cognitive behavioral therapy for youth with OCD. Clinical Psychological Science, 10, 175-185.
Olatunji, B O. (2021). Emotional induced attentional blink in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 283, 101-107.
Olatunji, B. O., Cox, R. C., & Cole, D. (2020). The longitudinal structure of disgust proneness: Testing a latent trait-state model in relation to obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 135, 10374.
Olatunji, B. O., Ebesutani, C., & Tolin, D. F. (2019). A bifactor model of obsessive beliefs: specificity in the prediction of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. Psychological Assessment, 31, 210-225.
Olatunji, B. O., Fan, Q, & Wolitzky-Taylor, K. (2018). Anxiety sensitivity and post-traumatic stress reactions: Effects of time-varying intrusive thoughts and associated distress. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 61, 113-120.
Olatunji, B. O., Armstrong, T., & Elwood, L. (2017). Is disgust proneness associated with anxiety and related disorders? A qualitative review and meta-analysis of group comparison and correlational studies. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12, 613-648.
Olatunji, B. O., Puncochar, B. D., & Cox, R. (2016). Effects of experienced disgust on morally-relevant judgments. PLoS ONE, 11(8), e0160357.
Olatunji, B. O., Rosenfield, D., Monzani, B., Krebs, G., Heyman, I., Turner, C., Isomura, K, & Mataix-Cols, D. (2015). Effects of homework compliance on cognitive-behavioral therapy with D-Cycloserine augmentation for children with obsessive compulsive disorder. Depression and Anxiety, 32, 935-943.
Olatunji, B. O., Ferreira-Garcia, R., Caseras, X., Fullana, M., Wooderson, S., Speckens, A., Lawrence, N., Giampietro, V., Brammer, M., Phillips, M., Fontenelle, L., & Mataix-Cols, D. (2014). Predicting response to CBT in contamination-based OCD from functional magnetic resonance imaging. Psychological Medicine, 44, 2125-2137
Olatunji, B. O., Rosenfield, D., Tart, C., Cottraux, J., Powers, M., & Smits, J. A. J. (2013). Behavioral versus cognitive treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: An examination of outcome and mediators of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81, 415-428.
Olatunji, B. O., David, B., & Ciesielski, B. (2012). Who am I to judge? Self-disgust predicts less punishment of severe transgressions. Emotion, 12, 169-173.
Olatunji, B. O., Ciesielski, B., & Zald, D. (2011). A selective impairment in attentional disengagement from erotica in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 35, 1977-1982.
Olatunji, B. O., Cisler, J. M., & Tolin, D. F. (2010). A meta-analysis of the influence of comorbidity on treatment outcome in the anxiety disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 642-654.
Olatunji, B. O., & Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B. (2009). Anxiety sensitivity and the anxiety disorders: A meta- analytic review and synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 974-999.
Olatunji, B. O., Feldman, G., Smits, J., Christian, K., Zalta, A., Pollack. M., & Simon, N. (2008). Examination of the decline in symptoms of anxiety and depression in generalized anxiety disorder: Impact of anxiety sensitivity on response to pharmacotherapy. Depression and Anxiety, 25, 167-171.
Olatunji, B. O., Williams, N. L., Tolin, D. F., Sawchuk, C. N., Abramowitz, J. S., Lohr, J. M., & Elwood, L. (2007). The Disgust Scale: Item analysis, factor structure, and suggestions for refinement. Psychological Assessment, 19, 281-297.
Olatunji, B. O. (2006). Evaluative learning and emotional responding to fearful and disgusting stimuli in spider phobia. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20, 858-876.
Olatunji, B. O., Williams, N. L., Lohr, J. M., & Sawchuk, C. N. (2005). The structure of disgust: Domain specificity in relation to contamination ideation and excessive washing. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43, 1069-1086.
Olatunji, B. O., Sawchuk, C. N., Lohr, J. M., & de Jong, P. J. (2004). Disgust domains in the prediction of contamination fear. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 42, 93-104.