Attention Bias Modification Treatment for Adolescents With Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) tends to emerge during the early teenage years and is particularly refractory to change even when standard evidence-based CBT treatments are delivered. Efforts have been made to develop novel, mechanistic-driven interventions for this disorder. In the present study, we examined Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) for youth with SAD. Participants were 58 adolescents (mean age = 14.29 years) who met diagnostic criteria for SAD and who were randomized to ABMT or a placebo control condition, Attention Control Training (ACT). We predicted that ABMT would result in greater changes in both threat biases and social anxiety symptoms. We also explored potential moderators of change including the severity of social anxiety symptoms, the level of threat bias at pretreatment, and the degree of temperament-defined attention control. Contrary to our hypotheses, changes in attention bias were not observed in either condition, changes in social anxiety symptoms and diagnosis were small, and significant differences were not observed between the ABMT and ACT conditions. Little support for the proposed moderators was obtained. Reasons for our failure to find support for ABMT and its potential moderators are explored and recommendations for changes in the ABMT paradigm are suggested.     

Introduction to the special section on health and cognitive function.

Numerous factors related to health and diseases have been studied in relation to cognitive function. It has been shown that across the life span, systemic medical diseases can negatively impact cognitive function. Factors that influence the development of medical diseases, such as poor health habits, biological risk factors, hormones, genetic factors, exposure to environmental toxins, and certain treatments for disease, can also have an adverse effect on cognitive function. Conversely, factors such as high levels of education, good health habits, and some treatments for disease can be protective. Included in this special section are 6 empirical articles that examine the relation of health or disease to cognitive function.     

The Subjective Experience of Children with Disruptive Behavior Problems as Reflected in “Person Picking an Apple from a Tree” Drawings

ABSTRACT

This study administered the “Person Picking an Apple from a Tree” drawing task to inquire into the subjective experience of children with Disruptive Behavior Problems. A total of 40 4th-6th grade students from an elementary school in Crete participated: 20 children showed signs of Disruptive Behavior Problems according to their teacher’s reports, and the other 20 did not. The drawings and verbal narratives were analyzed using a qualitative method. Findings present differences in two central themes: the environment as a context was duller, and self-agency representations showed less agency and subjectivity in the first group. The discussion deals with the findings in terms of object relations and agency theories. Therapeutic implications, study limitations, and future research are also discussed.