Online attentional bias modification training targeting anxiety and depression in unselected adolescents: Short- and long-term effects of a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Based on information processing models of anxiety and depression, we investigated the efficacy of multiple sessions of online attentional bias modification training to reduce attentional bias and symptoms of anxiety and depression, and to increase emotional resilience in youth. Unselected adolescents (N = 340, age: 11-18 years) were randomly allocated to eight sessions of a dot-probe, or a visual search-based attentional training, or one of two corresponding placebo control conditions. Cognitive and emotional measures were assessed pre- and post-training; emotional outcome measures also at three, six and twelve months follow-up. Only visual search training enhanced attention for positive information, and this effect was stronger for participants who completed more training sessions. Symptoms of anxiety and depression reduced, whereas emotional resilience improved. However, these effects were not especially pronounced in the active conditions. Thus, this large-scale randomized controlled study provided no support for the efficacy of the current online attentional bias modification training as a preventive intervention to reduce symptoms of anxiety or depression or to increase emotional resilience in unselected adolescents. However, the absence of biased attention related to symptomatology at baseline, and the large drop-out rates at follow-up preclude strong conclusions.

Association between attention bias to threat and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents

“…Specific inclusion/exclusion criteria for each site, as well as additional information, are detailed in the supplementary material. Some of the sites have previously published the attention bias and anxiety severity data for some of their respective participants as pre-treatment mean threat bias and anxiety scores, and as correlations between these two measures (de Voogd et al, 2016; Fitzgerald, Rawdon, & Dooley, 2016; Morales, Taber-Thomas, & Pérez-Edgar, 2017; White, Britton et al, 2016; White, Sequeira et al, 2017). …”

Imagine the bright side of life: A randomized controlled trial of two types of interpretation bias modification procedure targeting adolescent anxiety and depression

“…Cut-off scores were determined based on a previous study by our research group in a sample of 681 unselected adolescents, where 50% of adolescents scored above these values [40]. After screening 835 adolescents for anxiety and depressive symptoms, adolescents scoring above the inclusion cut-offs were invited to take part in the study ( n = 461).…”

Emotional working memory training as an online intervention for adolescent anxiety and depression: A randomised controlled trial

“…The current study was part of a larger randomised controlled trial on cognitive training, that compared four types of training paradigms (EmoWM training, interpretation bias modification, two types of attentional bias modification) with their respective placebo conditions (resulting in eight conditions). The methods and data of the other training paradigms are reported in de Voogd et al () and de Voogd, Wiers, de Jong, Zwitser, and Salemink (). The study was approved by the ethics committee of the psychology department of the University of Amsterdam, carried out in accordance with the provisions of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki, and registered in the Dutch trial register with number NTR3950 (http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=3950).…”

“…Also two attentional bias and one interpretation bias task were administered, but these data are presented in separate papers (de Voogd et al, ; de Voogd et al, ).…”