A York University doctoral student has been recognized with a top honour in the field of personality assessment for his work on new approaches to substance use risk.
Anthony Battaglia, a PhD candidate in clinical psychology, has been awarded the Mary S. Cerney Award by the Society for Personality Assessment (SPA) for the best graduate student paper. The study "The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale in Adulthood: An Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling Approach" was published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment.
Anthony Battaglia
The award will be presented at the SPA annual conference on March 27 in Denver, Co.
Battaglia's research focuses on the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), which measures four key personality risk factors for substance use: hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity, sensation seeking and impulsivity. Initially developed as a tool for assessing adolescents, Battaglia's research shows it is also a reliable and valid scale for use with emerging and older adults. The tool effectively uses personality risk factors to evaluate motives for alcohol use and alcohol-related issues.
Both his award-winning paper and his ongoing research are inspired by his early experiences in psychotherapy and highlight the need for psychometrically sound tools to assess individuals at risk for substance use.
"Through my early graduate training in psychotherapy, I was faced with clients struggling with substance use as a means of coping with internal anguish. To better recognize the factors that bring people to cope in this way is vital to clinical work," says Battaglia, who is currently working with military personnel, first responders and youth involved in the justice system in Calgary as part of his clinical psychology residency.
Battaglia's research aims to address the stigma surrounding substance use and improve mental health treatment. By identifying personality traits linked to substance use, his findings support more effective clinical interventions - such as personality-matched psychotherapy - and better understanding of underlying risk factors.
Battaglia credits his academic journey and mentors for shaping his research path, and acknowledges the support of his academic supervisor, Professor Joel Goldberg, as well as professors Matt Keough, Dave Flora and Rob Cribbie. He also expresses gratitude for senior author Keough's mentorship and guidance in the field of addiction research. Additionally, he says, he found the emphasis on both research and clinical training in York's graduate program in clinical psychology, as well as access to psychology's quantitative methods program, especially useful for advanced understanding of statistics and research methodologies.
"I was able to apply my learnings in structural equation modeling in the classroom environment ... directly to this research project," he says, adding that his professors were "particularly influential in helping me better understand and apply what I learned in the classroom."
Goldberg says the award is an incredible achievement and speaks to Battaglia's dedication to the field of personality assessment in vulnerable populations.
"The Mary S. Cerney Award is highly competitive, with top graduate students across North America competing for the honour," says Goldberg. "Earning this award not only highlights the significance of Anthony's research but also underscores its impact in advancing clinical assessment and scientific understandings."
Looking ahead, Battaglia is excited to continue and complete his dissertation research on psychosocial risk and resiliency factors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), moral injury and post-traumatic growth among police officers and civilian operational staff - an area of his research also recognized by the SPA with a dissertation grant for its originality and merit.
He plans to integrate a substance use lens to better understand the connection between substance use and experiences of trauma.
"To me, it is really a reflection of the value of perseverance in academia. There were some ups and downs with this research project and publishing this paper, so it really hits home to have all those hours of hard work and effort internationally recognized," he says of the award. "As I come to the end of my graduate training, it gives me confidence to know that the research I am interested in is of value to clinical practice and that the findings have a solid place in the academic world."
