Prof. Dr. David Kolar

My key interest in research lies in understanding why children, adolescents and young adults show highly dysfunctional behaviour despite the long-term negative consequences, such as disordered eating and compulsive exercise. I am convinced that a better understanding of short-term reinforcements (e.g., reduction of negative emotions, social attention) and how those maintain dysfunctional behaviour can contribute to the development of better functional models of mental disorders. If these models are being developed idiosyncratically, i.e. individualised, they can provide important starting points for personalised psychotherapeutic interventions. My actual focus in research is on eating disorders. In my research I use longitudinal and experimental methods as well as ecological momentary assessments to identify individual functionalities of disordered eating and compulsive exercise behaviours in the laboratory and in everyday life.
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In collaboration with the University Outpatient Psychotherapy Centre for Children and Adolescents another research focus is currently being developed, which aims to evaluate digital tools for individualised monitoring and therapy feedback in child and adolescent psychotherapy. We hope that this will enable us to identify difficulties in the process of psychotherapy at an early stage and to report these back to the therapists in order to further personalise and improve psychotherapy.
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You can find more about our current research?here.

Academic career

• since 05/2022?Professor for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Germany
• 01/2021 - 04/2022?Post-Doc, AG Psychotherapy- and Healthcare Research, Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany
• 01/2016 - 12/2020?Pre- and Post-Doc, Department of Child?and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Mainz, Germany
• 11/2014 - 12/2017?Clinical Psychologist with research activity, Rheinhessen-Fachklinik Mainz, Germany

Academic education

• 03/2017 Doctorate (Dr.rer.nat.) in psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
• 10/2014?Diploma in psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany

Clinical education and career

• since 08/2022?Lead of the University Outpatient Psychotherapy Centre for Children and Adolescents, University of Regensburg, Germany
• 03/2021 - 04/2022?Psychotherapist for Children and Adolescents at the University Outpatient Psychotherapy Clinic for Infants, Children, Adolescents
  and (future) Parents, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany
• 12/2020 Licensed Psychotherapist for children and adolescents (CBT)
• 09/2019?Accreditation as Triple-P Teen Group-Trainer

* student/postgraduate under supervision
? shared authorship

Under review

Kolar, D.R., Haynos, A.F., Wang, S.B., Lask, T., Murray, S.B., Voderholzer, U. & Gorrell, S. Identification of affective and social reinforcement functions of driven exercise: Evidence from three samples. Preprint: https://psyarxiv.com/ad3mq/

Peer-reviewed journal articles

2025

Asbrand, J., Calvano, C., Crombach, A., Hanisch, C., Hartmann, A. S., Hechler, T., Heinrichs, N., In-Albon, T., Jungmann, S. M., Kaurin, A., Kolar, D. R., Lindenberg, K., Linke, J. O., Lippert, M. W., Reck, C., Roesmann, K., Schuwerk, T., Sch?fer, S., Schmitz, J., Schneider, S., Schwenck, C., Szota, K., von Wirth, E., Zietlow, A.-L. & Christiansen, H. (2025). Das neue Psychotherapeutengesetz: Rückblick auf drei Jahre und Beispiele universit?rer Umsetzung in der Klinischen Kinder- und Jugendpsychologie und -Psychotherapie. Kindheit und Entwicklung.

Siccorello, M., Elsaesser, M. & Kolar, D. R. (2025). A German version of the State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (S-DERS): Translation, Validation and Extended Factor Models. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation.

Monteleone, A. M., Carfagno, M., Meule, A., Naab, S., Cascino, G., Voderholzer, U. & Kolar, D. R. (2025). Effects of childhood emotional abuse on treatment outcome in adolescent inpatients with anorexia nervosa. International Jounal of Eating Disorders.

Tsarpalis-Fragkoulidis, A., Kolar, D., Schneckenreiter, C. & Zemp, M. (2025). Social Anxiety and Emotion Regulation in the Everyday Life of Adolescents - An Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) Study. Kindheit und Entwicklung.

Meule, A., Dieffenbacher, A. L., Kolar, D. R., & Voderholzer, U. (2025). Weight Suppression, Binge Eating, and Purging as Predictors of Weight Gain During Inpatient Treatment in Persons With Bulimia Nervosa. European eating disorders review: the journal of the Eating Disorders Association, 10.1002/erv.3197. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.3197?

Kolar, D. R. & Meule, A. (2025). The next ten years of emotion regulation research in anorexia nervosa: positive, interpersonal, and interventional. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 32(1), 23-25.

Meule, A., Ertl, S., Forbush, K. T., Mindrup, L. M., Ehrenthal, J. C. & Kolar, D. R. (2025). Psychometric properties of the German version of the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory. Journal of eating disorders, 13(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-025-01253-7?

2024

Bauman, T., Kolar, D. R., Correll, C. U., Haas, V., & Voderholzer, U. (2024). Impact of Antipsychotic Medications on Weight Gain and Eating Disorder-Related Psychopathology in Adult Inpatients with Anorexia Nervosa. Pharmacopsychiatry. https://dx.doi.org/10.1055/a-2436-9552

Kolar, D.R., Ralph-Nearman, C., Swanson, T. & Levinson, C. Exercise Moderates Longitudinal Group Psychopathology Networks in Individuals with Eating Disorders. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 152543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152543

Kolar, D. R., Monteleone, A. M., Cascino, G., Ertl., S., Meule,A., Naab, S., & Voderholzer, U. (2024). Pathways between child maltreatment, psychological symptoms, and life satisfaction: a network analysis in adolescent inpatients. Research on child and adolescent psychopathology, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-024-01172-2

2023

Kolar, D. R.,? Meule, A.,? Zisler, E., Schwartz, C., & Voderholzer, U. (2023). Effects of acceptance-based strategies on psychological responses to disorder-relevant stimuli in inpatients with obsessive–compulsive disorder: an experimental study. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 81, 101890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2023.101890

Monteleone, A. M., Cascino, G., Meule, A., Barone, E., Voderholzer, U., & Kolar, D. R. (2023). Pathways between childhood maltreatment and life satisfaction in adolescents with eating disorders: A network analysis. European Eating Disorders Review, 1– 10. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.3000

Meule, A., Kolar, D. R., Schlegl, S., Rauh, E. & Voderholzer, U. Comparing Illness Duration and Treatment Outcome of Anorexia Nervosa. (2023). Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 31 (3), 274-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2022.2114586

Meule, A., Kolar, D. R., G?rtner, T., Osen, B., Rauh, E., Naab, S., & Voderholzer, U. (2023). Depressive symptoms and weight change in inpatients with anorexia nervosa: a cross-lagged panel model. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 172, 111391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111391

Andres, F. E., Thornborrow, T., Bowie, W. N., Chamorro, A. M., De la Rosa, G., Evans, E. H., ..., Kolar, D. R., ... & Boothroyd, L. G. (2023). Validation of a Latin-American Spanish version of the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA-LA) in Colombian and Nicaraguan adults. Journal of Eating Disorders, 11(1), 219. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-023-00942-5

2022

Kolar, D. R. & Mebarak, M. 2022. An update on the epidemiology of eating disorders
in Latin America: Current state and future challenges. Current Opinion in Psychiatry.
https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000813

Kaurin, A. & Kolar, D. R. 2022. Ambulantes Assessment in der Klinischen Kinderund
Jugendpsychologie. Psychotherapie. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00278-022-00605-x

Meule, A., Kolar, D. R., Naab, S. & Voderholzer, U. 2022. Distance to home does not
influence treatment success during and after inpatient treatment in adolescents with
anorexia nervosa. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-022-02013-7

Meule, A., Kolar, D. R. & Voderholzer, U. 2022. Weight Suppression and Body Mass
Index at Admission Interactively Predict Weight Trajec