HEALTH PROMOTION & RESEARCH LABORATORY
Bonnie Spring, Ph.D.

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Dr. Bonnie Spring
Office 1008 BSB
Phone (312) 413-2628
E-Mail to bspring@uic.edu

Psychology Department page

Psychology Faculty

Clinical Division page

My research is focused on trying to understand the mechanisms that maintain unhealthy behaviors in order to translate that knowledge into effective health promotion interventions.  Most of my group's ongoing work concerns cigarette smoking or problematic eating behaviors.  Our research approach begins with basic mechanism-oriented studies that aim to characterize the psychobiological substrates that underpin an unhealthy behavior.  Then we proceed to clinical trials in which we intervene upon the underlying mechanisms, test the consequences for healthy behavior change, and examine whether treatment process data bear out our understanding of the mechanisms that mediated healthful behavior change.

In the area of cigarette smoking, we are conducting research on several different populations of hard-to-reach smokers:  women who have exaggerated concerns about gaining weight after quitting smoking; smokers who have a history of becoming depressed; smokers with schizophrenia; and smokers with high levels of trait-anhedonia or trait-impulsivity.  Some of this research involves studies of underlying biological and behavioral mechanisms.   Other studies involve cognitive-behavioral, dietary, or pharmacological treatments.

In the area of eating behaviors, we have an ongoing study examining behavioral and biological characteristics of overweight women who report that they crave carbohydrates.  Our other current emphasis concerns identifying optimal ways to modify more than one unhealthy behavior at a time (for example, eating, physical activity, and smoking).

Recent & Representative Older Publications (italics indicates student co-author):
[link to complete bibliography]

Spring, B., Pagoto, S., Whitlock, E., Kaufmann, P., Glasgow, R., Smith, K., Trudeau, K., & Davidson, K. (in press)  Invitation to a dialogue between researchers and clinicians about evidence-based behavioral medicine, Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Doran, N., Spring, B., McChargue, D., Pergadia, M., & Richmond, M. (2004).  Impulsivity and relapse to cigarette smoking.  Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 6, 641-647 . [PDF]

Spring, B., Doran, N., Pagoto, S., Pingitore, R., & Hedeker, D. (in press).  Randomized controlled trial for behavioral smoking and weight control treatment:  Effect of concurrent versus sequential intervention.  Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology.

Werth Cook, J., Spring, B., McChargue, D., Borrelli, B., Hitsman, B., Niaura, R., Keuthen, N., & Kristeller, J. (2004).  Influence of fluoxetine on positive and negative affect in a clinic-based smoking cessation trial.  Psychopharmacology, 173(1-2), 153-159.

Werth Cook, J.,  Spring, B. , & McChargue, D.  (2004).  Hedonic capacity, cigarette craving, and diminished positive mood.  Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 6, 39-47. [PDF]

Spring, B. & Pagoto, S. (2004).  Research to practice in health and behavior. In N. Anderson (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior, 2,696-697. Sage Publications.  

Pergadia, M., Spring, B., Konopka, L., Twardowska, B., & Crayton, J. (2004).  Double-blind controlled trial of the effect of tryptophan depletion on depression and cerebral blood flow in smokers.  Addictive Behaviors, 29, 665-671. [PDF]

McChargue, D.E., Spring, B., Neuman, C, & Werth, J. (2004).  Positive but not negative reinforcement expectations mediate the influence of depressive history on smoking status in a college student population.  Addictive Behaviors, 29, 991-994. [PDF]

Davidson, K., Goldstein, M., Kaplan, R., Kaufmann, P., Knatterud, G., Orleans, T., Pickering, T., Spring, B., Trudeau, K. (2003).  Evidence-based behavioral medicine:  What is it, and how do we get there?  Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 26(3), 161-171.

Borrelli, B., Papandonatos, G., Spring, B., Hitsman, B., & Niaura, R. (2004).  Experimenter-defined quit dates for smoking cessation:  Adherence improves outcomes for women but not for men.  Addiction, 99, 378-385.

Spring, B., Pingitore, R., McChargue, D.E. (2003).  Reward value of cigarette smoking for comparably heavy smoking schizophrenic, depressed and nonpatient smokers.  American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 316-322.  [PDF]

Spring, B., Pagoto, S. L., McChargue, D. E., & Hedeker, D. (2003).  Altered reward value of carbohydrate snacks for female smokers withdrawn from nicotine.  Pharmacology, Biochemistry, & Behavior, 76, 351-360. [PDF]

Hitsman, B., Borrelli, B., McChargue, D.E., Spring, B., & Niaura, R. (2003).  History of depression and smoking cessation:  A meta-analysis.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 657-663.  [PDF]

Hernandez, S., Vander Wal, J., & Spring, B. (2003).  Efficacy of a negative mood induction procedure across repeated administrations.  Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 25, 49-55.

Erblich, J., Niaura, R., Spring, B., Boyarsky, Y. Bovbjerg, D.  (2003).  Smokers with multiple first-degree relatives who smoked display heightened levels of stress-induced cigarette craving. Addiction, 98, 657-66.  [PDF]

Johnsen, L., Spring, B., Pingitore, R., Sommerfeld, B.K., & McKirnan, D. (2002) Smoking as subculture:  Influence on Hispanic and Caucasian Women’s attitudes about smoking and obesity. Health Psychology, 21, 279-287. [PDF]

Niaura, R., Spring, B., Borrelli, B., Hedeker, D., Goldstein, M. G., Keuthen, N., DePue, J., Kristeller, J., Ockene, J., Prochazka, A., Childes, D., & Abrams, D.B. (2002) Multicenter trial of fluoxetine as an adjunct to behavioral treatment for smoking cessation: Different missing data assumptions yield differing outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 887-896. [PDF]

Spring, B., Davidson, K., Whitlock, E. & Trudeau, K. (2002) Evidence-based behavioral medicine: Making progress with eyes wide open.  Outlook: Quarterly Newsletter of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, 3, 7-11. [PDF]

Richmond, M. A., Spring, B., Sommerfeld, B. K., & McChargue, D. E. (2001).  Rumination and cigarette smoking:  A bad combination for depressive outcomes?  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 836-840. [PDF]

Borrelli, B., Spring, B., Niaura, R., Hitsman, B., &  Papandonatos, G. (2001) Influences of gender and weight gain on short-term relapse to smoking in a cessation trial.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 511-515. [PDF]

Hitsman, B., Spring, B., Borrelli, B., Niaura, R. & Papandonatos, G. (2001)  Influence  of antidepressant pharmacotherapy on behavioral treatment adherence and smoking cessation Outcome in a Combined Treatment Involving Fluoxetine.  Journal of Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 9, 355-362. [PDF]

Gunnarsdottir, E. D., Pingitore, R. A., Spring, B. J., Konopka, L. M., Crayton, J. W., Milo, T., & Shirazi, P. (2000).  Individual differences among cocaine users.  Addictive Behaviors, 25, 641-652. [PDF]

Borrelli, B., Spring, B., Niaura, R., Kristeller, J., Ockene, J. & Keuthen, N. J. (1999) Weight suppression and weight rebound in ex-smokers treated with fluoxetine. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 124-131. [PDF]

Fitzgibbon, M. L., Spring, B., Avellone, M. E., Blackman, L. R., Pingitore, R., & Stolley, M. R. (1998). Correlates of binge eating in Hispanic, Black, and White women.  International Journal of Eating Disorders, 24, 43-52. [PDF]

Spring, B., Gelenberg, A. J., Garvin, R., & Thompson, S. (1992). Amitriptyline, clovoxamine and cognitive function:  A placebo-controlled comparison in depressed outpatients.  Psychopharmacology, 108, 327-332. [PDF]

Spring, B., Maller, O., Wurtman, J., & Cozolino, L. (1982).  Effects of protein and carbohydrate meals on mood and performance:  Interactions with sex and age.  Journal of Psychiatric Research, 17, 155-167. [abstract]

Spring, B., & Zubin, J. (1978).  Attention and information processing as indicators of vulnerability to schizophrenic episodes.  Journal of Psychiatric Research, 14, 289-302. [PDF]

Zubin, J., & Spring, B. (1977).  Vulnerability:  A new view of schizophrenia.  Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 86, 103-126. [PDF]