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Rubin M. Testing a brief attention training protocol to prevent emotional distress from a fear induction procedure. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2024; 84:101956. [PMID: 38447472 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2024.101956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Attentional hypervigilance to threat in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an important topic to investigate. Efforts to leverage attention training to prevent PTSD have been promising but underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. The current study tested whether Attention Bias Modification (ABM) prior to an emotion induction of fear could reduce self-reported fear and arousal compared to two control conditions. METHODS Participants (N = 86) were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and randomized to receive either (1) ABM where they were directed towards fear related words on every trial; (2) Attention Control Training (ACT) where they were directed towards fear related words on 50% of trials; or (3) Neutral training where all words were neutral. Participants then completed a fear emotion induction (a 2-min video), reporting fear, arousal, and mood before and after the emotion induction. RESULTS Participants in the ABM condition had lower fear compared to the Neutral condition b = 11.43, 95% CI (1.20, 21.65), d = 0.48. Participants in the ABM condition did not have lower fear compared to the ACT condition b = 9.75, 95% CI (-0.64, 19.96), d = 0.41. Importantly, attentional avoidance at baseline moderated the effect of condition for both fear and arousal; higher avoidance at baseline for the ABM condition was associated with lower fear and arousal after the emotion induction compared to the Neutral condition. LIMITATIONS The sample size was relatively small and limited in diversity. CONCLUSIONS These findings are the first experimental evidence showing that the benefit of ABM prior to a fearful experience may be in its reduction of the target emotion. Additionally, ABM may work best for those that demonstrate the most avoidance at baseline in their attention towards fearful stimuli.
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Falcone MM, Bar-Haim Y, Lebowitz ER, Silverman WK, Pettit JW. Attention Training for Child Anxiety and Its Disorders: Moving from Research to Clinical Implementation. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2024; 27:550-560. [PMID: 38740658 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-024-00482-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Attention training is an evidence-based, computerized treatment for anxiety and its disorders rooted in cognitive neuroscience. Though experimental research and clinical trials data on attention training in children span two decades, the literature has focused on attention training's anxiety reduction effects, with little guidance on its implementation in clinical practice. Guidance on implementation is needed given recent efforts to increase accessibility of attention training in clinical practice settings. In this article, we move from research to clinical implementation, providing guidelines with pragmatic clinical steps. We include guidance on psychoeducation, setting and delivery of sessions, potential challenges, and frequently asked questions regarding implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa M Falcone
- Department of Psychology and Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, AHC 1 249A, 11200 SW 8thStreet, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences, Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eli R Lebowitz
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA
| | - Wendy K Silverman
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA
| | - Jeremy W Pettit
- Department of Psychology and Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, AHC 1 249A, 11200 SW 8thStreet, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
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Zhang F, Huang C, Yan W, Ouyang H, Liu W. Attentional bias modification and attention control training in PTSD: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol 2024; 14:20451253241243260. [PMID: 38633357 PMCID: PMC11022678 DOI: 10.1177/20451253241243260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Cognitive models of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) highlighted the effect of maladaptive cognitive processing in the development and maintenance of PTSD. PTSD is related to attentional bias (AB) toward threatening stimuli and greater attentional bias variability (ABV). Attentional bias modification (ABM) and attention control training (ACT) have demonstrated the effect of improving PTSD, but the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are controversial. Objectives The current study aimed to evaluate the extent of evidence supporting the efficacy of ABM in the treatment of PTSD. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods We searched PUBMED, PsycINFO, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for articles published between 1980 and 2022. RCTs of ABM for adult participants with PTSD symptoms were identified. The primary outcome was changes in PTSD severity, and the second outcome was changes in AB and ABV. Trial quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Publication bias was assessed using the Doi plot and Luis Furuya-Kanamori (LFK) index. Results Eight RCTs comparing the effect of ABM to ACT were included in the review, and six studies were meta-analyzed. Meta-analysis favored ACT in improving PTSD symptoms and ABV, and the effect size was large. ABM and ACT demonstrated similar effects in improving AB. Conclusion ACT should not only be seen as a control training condition but also has therapeutic values. However, since the current meta-analysis only included a limited number of studies, further research was still needed to examine the clinical value of ACT in PTSD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Zhang
- Lab for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
- The Emotion and Cognition Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenwei Huang
- Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjie Yan
- Lab for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
- The Emotion and Cognition Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Ouyang
- Lab for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, #800 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai 200433, China
- The Emotion and Cognition Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
- Lab for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
- The Emotion and Cognition Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weizhi Liu
- Lab for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, #800 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai 200433, China
- The Emotion and Cognition Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
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Suarez-Jimenez B, Lazarov A, Zhu X, Pine DS, Bar-Haim Y, Neria Y. Attention allocation to negatively-valenced stimuli in PTSD is associated with reward-related neural pathways. Psychol Med 2023; 53:4666-4674. [PMID: 35652602 PMCID: PMC9715854 DOI: 10.1017/s003329172200157x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In a recent eye-tracking study we found a differential dwell time pattern for negatively-valenced and neutral faces among patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma-exposed healthy control (TEHCs), and healthy control (HC) participants. Here, we explored whether these group differences relate to resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) patterns of brain areas previously linked to both attention processes and PTSD. These encompass the amygdala, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC), and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). METHODS Ten minutes magnetic resonance imaging rsFC scans were recorded in 17 PTSD patients, 21 TEHCs, and 16 HCs. Participants then completed a free-viewing eye-tracking task assessing attention allocation outside the scanner. Dwell time on negatively-valenced stimuli (DT%) were assessed relative to functional connectivity in the aforementioned seed regions of interest (amygdala, dACC, dlPFC, vlPFC, and NAcc) to whole-brain voxel-wise rsFC. RESULTS As previously reported, group differences occurred in attention allocation to negative-valence stimuli, with longer dwell time on negatively valence stimuli in the PTSD and TEHC groups than the HC group. Higher DT% correlated with weaker NAcc-orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) connectivity in patients with PTSD. Conversely, a positive association emerged in the HC group between DT% and NAcc-OFC connectivity. CONCLUSIONS While exploratory in nature, present findings may suggest that reward-related brain areas are involved in disengaging attention from negative-valenced stimuli, and possibly in regulating ensuing negative emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez
- Department of Neuroscience, The Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Amit Lazarov
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xi Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- Section on Developmental Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yuval Neria
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
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Todd J, Coutts-Bain D, Wilson E, Clarke P. Is attentional bias variability causally implicated in emotional vulnerability? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 146:105069. [PMID: 36738811 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of the present review was to determine whether attentional bias variability (ABV) is causally implicated in emotional vulnerability. We consider evidence examining whether ABV precedes and predicts later psychopathology, and whether modifying ABV leads to changes in psychological symptoms following an intervention. METHODS A systematic literature search located 15 studies that met the inclusion criteria (3 longitudinal, 12 intervention). Eligible intervention studies were also meta-analysed. RESULTS Preliminary evidence suggests that ABV predicts later post-traumatic stress symptomatology in interaction with number of traumatic events. The few interventions designed to reduce ABV suggest promise for improving PTSD symptoms. However, these interventions did not consistently change ABV, and where it was tested, change in ABV did not correspond to change in symptoms. CONCLUSIONS There is emerging evidence that ABV could represent a vulnerability factor for psychological symptoms, particularly for those exposed to trauma. This may indicate attentional control difficulties, although this remains to be tested. Conclusions regarding the causal status of ABV will depend on future high-quality randomised controlled trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jemma Todd
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
| | | | - Emily Wilson
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Patrick Clarke
- Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Bentley, WA, Australia
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Eli B, Chen Y, Zhang J, Huang X, Wang Q, Ma Z, Yv Y, Liu Z. Time course of attentional bias and its relationship with PTSD symptoms in bereaved Chinese parents who have lost their only child. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2023; 14:2235980. [PMID: 37493173 PMCID: PMC10599259 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2235980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The death of a child is a highly traumatic event for parents and often leads to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Attentional bias has been demonstrated in the onset and maintenance of PTSD symptoms.Objective: This study aimed to investigate the time course of attentional bias among bereaved Chinese parents who have lost their only child (Shidu parents), and to examine its relationship with PTSD symptoms and symptom clusters.Methods: Shidu parents (n = 38; 50-72 years of age) completed a dot-probe task with negative (trauma-related), positive, and neutral images at four stimulus presentation times (250, 500, 750, and 1250 ms). PTSD symptoms were measured by the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5).Results: We observed difficulty in disengaging from both negative and positive stimuli at 750 ms and attentional bias away from negative stimuli at 1250 ms. At 1250 ms, attentional avoidance of trauma-related stimuli was positively correlated with PCL-5 total and intrusion scores. Difficulty in disengaging from positive stimuli was negatively correlated with PCL-5 total and intrusion scores as well as negative alterations in cogniti and mood scores.Conclusions: These findings enhance our understanding of attentional bias and cognitive-affective processing in PTSD. This study provides evidence that attentional bias (difficulty in disengaging from positive stimuli and bias away from negative stimuli) are correlated with PTSD symptoms and certain symptom clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buzohre Eli
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yaru Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Gengdan Institute of Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Xin Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Qian Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Clinical and Health Psychology Department, School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Zhujiang Ma
- Beijing Wisdom Spirits Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yang Yv
- Yv Yang Psychological Service Center, Economic and Technological Development Zone, Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, P.R. China
| | - ZhengKui Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
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Pettit JW, Rey Y, Marin CE, Bechor M, Lebowitz ER, Vasey MW, Jaccard J, Abend R, Pine DS, Bar-Haim Y, Silverman WK. Attention Training as a Low-Intensity Treatment for Concerning Anxiety in Clinic-Referred Youth. Behav Ther 2023; 54:77-90. [PMID: 36608979 PMCID: PMC9825787 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2022.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Although youth anxiety treatment research has focused largely on severe and impairing anxiety levels, even milder anxiety levels, including levels that do not meet full criteria for a diagnosis, can be impairing and cause for concern. There is a need to develop and test viable treatments for these concerning anxiety levels to improve functioning and reduce distress. We present findings from a randomized controlled efficacy trial of attention bias modification treatment (ABMT) and attention control training (ACT) for youths with concerning anxiety levels. Fifty-three clinic-referred youths (29 boys, M age = 9.3 years, SD age = 2.6) were randomized to either ABMT or ACT. ABMT and ACT consisted of attention-training trials in a dot-probe task presenting angry and neutral faces; probes appeared in the location of neutral faces in 100% of ABMT trials and 50% of ACT trials. Independent evaluators provided youth anxiety severity ratings; youths and parents provided youth anxiety severity and global impairment ratings; and youths completed measures of attention bias to threat and attention control at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 2-month follow-up. In both arms, anxiety severity and global impairment were significantly reduced at posttreatment and follow-up. At follow-up, anxiety severity and global impairment were significantly lower in ACT compared with ABMT. Attention control, but not attention bias to threat, was significantly improved at follow-up in both arms. Changes in attention control and attention focusing were significantly associated with changes in anxiety severity. Findings support the viability of attention training as a low-intensity treatment for youths with concerning anxiety levels, including levels that do not meet full criteria for a diagnosis. Superior anxiety reduction effects in ACT highlight the critical need for mechanistic research on attention training in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carla E Marin
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine
| | | | - Eli R Lebowitz
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine
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