Eric Houston is a research assistant professor at Claremont Graduate University’s School of Community & Global Health. His research focuses on the interplay between psychosocial stressors, cognitive functioning, and emotion regulation in influencing health outcomes. Health outcomes examined in his research have included HIV treatment adherence, substance abuse, sexual behaviors, mental health functioning, and the use of adaptive coping strategies. Houston’s recent research investigates the underlying role of cognitive processes related to attention and memory in shaping health behaviors and their potential as targets for novel interventions designed to address health disparities. Much of his work has examined the impact of technologically-based approaches to help people attain health-related goals when faced with multiple stressors.
Houston received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He completed his clinical psychology internship at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Houston has been awarded grants for his research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. His work has been published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, including AIDS and Behavior, Psychology & Health, Journal of Health Psychology, and the Journal of Urban Health.
Co-authored with C. Argueta and S. Shoptaw. “HIV and depression: A potential role for attention training in prevention and treatment.” Journal of HIV and AIDS 4, no. 2 (2018): 2-6.
Co-authored with T. Lyons, et al. “Implicit cognition among patients lost to follow up for HIV care: A preliminary study.” The Open AIDS Journal 10, no. 1 (2016): 83-92.
Co-authored with A.K. Tatum. “Examining the interplay between depression, motivation, and antiretroviral therapy adherence: A social cognitive approach.” AIDS Care 29, no. 3 (2016): 306-10.
Co-authored with C. Mikrut, et al. “Another look at depressive symptoms and antiretroviral therapy adherence: The role of treatment self-efficacy.” Journal of Health Psychology 21, no. 10 (2016): 2138-147.
Co-authored with A. Osborn, et al. “Exploring perceived social support from peer facilitators in an HIV treatment adherence intervention for African American patients: A content analysis of participant perspectives.” Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 25, (2015): 487-501.
Co-authored with A.W. Fominaya. “Antiretroviral therapy adherence in a sample of men with low socioeconomic status: The role of task-specific treatment self-efficacy.” Psychology, Health & Medicine 20, no. 8 (2014): 896-905.
Co-authored with T. Sandfort, et al. “Psychological pathways from childhood sexual and physical abuse to HIV risk behavior among single homeless women: The role of PTSD and borderline personality disorder symptoms.” Journal of Health Psychology 18, (2013): 1330-340.
Co-authored with T. Sandfort, et al. “Depressive symptoms among MSM who engage in bareback sex: Does mood matter?” AIDS and Behavior 16, no. 9 (2012): 2209-215.
Co-authored with D. McKirnan and M. Tolou-Shams. “Is the web the culprit? Cognitive ‘escape’ and Internet sexual risk among gay and bisexual men.” AIDS and Behavior 11, (2007): 151-60.
Co-authored with D. McKirnan. “Intimate partner abuse among gay and bisexual men: Risk correlates and health outcomes.” Journal of Urban Health 84, (2007): 681-90.