title: Using experience sampling methods/ecological momentary assessment (ESM/EMA) in clinical assessment and clinical research: introduction to the special section.
abstract: This article introduces the special section on experience sampling methods and ecological momentary assessment in clinical assessment. We review the conceptual basis for experience sampling methods (ESM; Csikszentmihalyi & Larson, 1987) and ecological momentary assessment (EMA; Stone & Shiffman, 1994). Next, we highlight several advantageous features of ESM/EMA as applied to psychological assessment and clinical research. We provide a brief overview of the articles in this special section, each of which focuses on 1 of the following major classes of psychological disorders: mood disorders and mood dysregulation (Ebner-Priemer & Trull, 2009), anxiety disorders (Alpers, 2009), substance use disorders (Shiffman, 2009), and psychosis (Oorschot, Kwapil, Delespaul, & Myin-Germeys, 2009). Finally, we discuss prospects, future challenges, and limitations of ESM/EMA.
authors: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. TrullT@missouri.edu
authors: Timothy J
authors: TJ
authors: Trull
authors: Ulrich W
authors: UW
authors: Ebner-Priemer
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods*; D034201:Computers, Handheld; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012931:Social Environment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D013689:Telephone; D014956:Writing