Attentional Bias Training in Girls at Risk for Depression

Overview

Journal J Child Psychol Psychiatry

Specialties Psychiatry
Psychology

Date 2016 Jul 9

PMID 27390111

Citations 8

Authors

Joelle LeMoult

Jutta Joormann

Katharina Kircanski

Ian H Gotlib

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: This study examined, for the first time, whether attentional biases can be modified in adolescents at risk for depression.

Methods: The final sample consisted of 41 girls at familial risk for depression, who were randomly assigned to receive six sessions (864 trials) of real or sham attention bias training [Real attentional bias training (ABT) vs. Sham ABT]. Participants who received Real ABT completed a modified dot-probe task designed to train attention toward positive and away from negative facial expressions; in contrast, girls who received Sham ABT completed the standard dot-probe task. Attentional biases, self-reported mood, and psychophysiological responses to stress were measured at pre- and post-training assessments.

Results: As expected, girls who received Real ABT, but not those who received Sham ABT, exhibited significant increases from pre- to post-training in their attention toward happy faces and away from sad faces. Moreover, adolescents who received Real ABT were buffered against the negative outcomes experienced by adolescents who received Sham ABT. Specifically, only adolescents who received Sham ABT experienced an increase in negative mood and a pre- to post-training increase in heart rate in anticipation of the stressor.

Conclusions: The current findings provide the first experimental evidence that attentional biases can be modified in youth at risk for depression and further suggest that ABT modulates the heightened response to stress that is otherwise experienced by high-risk adolescents.

Citing Articles

Theta Rhythm-Based Attention Switch Training Effectively Modified Negative Attentional Bias.

Li G, Cai X, Wang Y CNS Neurosci Ther. 2024; 30(12):e70157.

PMID: 39704198 PMC: 11659812. DOI: 10.1111/cns.70157.

AttentionCARE: replicability of a BCI for the clinical application of augmented reality-guided EEG-based attention modification for adolescents at high risk for depression.

Gall R, McDonald N, Huang X, Wears A, Price R, Ostadabbas S Front Hum Neurosci. 2024; 18():1360218.

PMID: 39045509 PMC: 11264899. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1360218.

Cognitive manipulation of emotional and non-emotional information in working memory of patients with depression: a rigid processing style.

Cui J, Wen J, Wang D Front Psychol. 2023; 14:1183893.

PMID: 37384177 PMC: 10293631. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1183893.

Cognitive bias modification for adult's depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Li J, Ma H, Yang H, Yu H, Zhang N Front Psychol. 2023; 13:968638.

PMID: 36743641 PMC: 9894684. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.968638.

A review of attentional bias modification trainings for depression.

Li G, Cai X, Yang Q, Cui Q, Huang L, Jing X CNS Neurosci Ther. 2022; 29(3):789-803.

PMID: 36377495 PMC: 9928546. DOI: 10.1111/cns.14022.

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