David Dunkley
Associate Professor
Contact Information:
Office: Lady Davis Institute, 303
Phone: 514.340.8222 ext. 5176
Email: david.dunkley[at]mcgill.ca
Mailing Address:
Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry
Lady Davis Institute
SMBD Jewish General Hospital
4333 Cote Ste. Catherine Road
Montreal, QC
H3T 1E4
Research Areas:
Clinical Psychology | Social & Personality
Research Summary:
Dr. Dunkley, based at the Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry at the Lady Davis Institute - Jewish General Hospital, is interested in the role of cognitive-personality vulnerability factors such as perfectionism in depression and anxiety. His research examines stress, coping, and emotion regulation processes that might explain why personal standards (PS) and self-criticism (SC) dimensions of perfectionism are instigating and/or maintaining factors of depressive and anxious symptoms. His recent research has tested a single-session explanatory feedback intervention that delivers individualized feedback on perfectionism and daily stress, coping, and affect processes.
Selected References:
Dunkley, D. M., Richard, A., Tobin, R., Saucier, A., Gossack, A., Zuroff, D. C., Moskowitz, D. S., Foley, J. E., & Russell, J. J. (2023). Empowering self-critical perfectionistic students: A waitlist controlled feasibility trial of an explanatory feedback intervention on daily coping processes. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 70, 584-594. doi:10.1037/cou0000691
Tobin, R., & Dunkley, D. M. (2021). Self-critical perfectionism and lower mindfulness and self-compassion predict anxious and depressive symptoms over two years. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 136, 1-12. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2020.103780
Dunkley, D. M., Starrs, C. J., Gouveia, L., & Moroz, M. (2020). Self-critical perfectionism and lower daily perceived control predict depressive and anxious symptoms over four years. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 67, 736-746. doi:10.1037/cou0000425
Moroz, M., & Dunkley, D. M. (2019). Self-critical perfectionism, experiential avoidance, and depressive and anxious symptoms over two years: A three-wave longitudinal study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 112, 18-27. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2018.11.006
Dunkley, D. M., Lewkowski, M. D., Lee, I. A., Preacher, K. J., Zuroff, D. C., Berg, J., Foley, J. E., Myhr, G., & Westreich, R. (2017). Daily stress, coping, and negative and positive affect in depression: Complex trigger and maintenance patterns. Behavior Therapy, 48, 349-365. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2016.06.001
Dunkley, D. M., Mandel, T., & Ma, D. (2014). Perfectionism, neuroticism, and daily stress reactivity and coping effectiveness 6 months and 3 years later. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 61, 616-633. doi:10.1037/cou0000036