Background and objectives

Studies show that attentional bias towards threat is a key maintenance factor for panic disorder (PD). Attentional bias may be an important mechanism of symptom reduction, and thus, a useful target for optimizing outcomes. The current study examined whether an attention bias modification (ABM) task enhanced CBT outcomes. Multiple methods for assessing PD were used, including physiological measurement and clinician-rated assessment.

Methods

Adults with panic disorder (N = 24) received seven sessions of CBT with either ABM or sham attention tasks. Psychophysiological reaction to a loud tones startle paradigm was assessed before and after treatment.

Results

Across both groups, panic symptom severity decreased with CBT. The ABM group showed greater reductions in PD symptoms compared to the placebo group. Notably, however, changes in attentional bias were not associated with symptom reductions across groups. No significant group differences on psychophysiological assessment were observed.

Limitations

This study is limited by the small sample size, which rendered our power to investigate mediators and moderators insufficient. More research is needed to validate the effect of attention bias modification on attentional bias to threat.

Conclusions

This pilot study suggests that future research should investigate attentional bias in conjunction with CBT. A larger sample would provide opportunity to further investigate the mechanisms through which ABM works, along with potential moderating factors and the use of psychophysiological measurements in panic disorder.

中文翻译：

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一项通过注意偏差修正增强恐慌症认知行为疗法的试点研究：临床和心理生理学结果。

背景和目标

研究表明，对威胁的注意力偏向是恐慌症 (PD) 的关键维持因素。注意偏差可能是减轻症状的重要机制，因此是优化结果的有用目标。当前的研究检查了注意力偏差修正 (ABM) 任务是否增强了 CBT 结果。使用了多种评估 PD 的方法，包括生理测量和临床医生评定的评估。

方法

患有惊恐障碍的成年人 (N = 24) 接受了七次 CBT 课程，其中包括 ABM 或假注意力任务。在治疗之前和之后评估对响亮的音调惊吓范式的心理生理反应。

结果

在两组中，CBT 均使恐慌症状的严重程度降低。与安慰剂组相比，ABM 组显示出更大的 PD 症状减轻。然而，值得注意的是，注意力偏差的变化与各组症状的减少无关。未观察到心理生理学评估的显着组间差异。

限制

这项研究受到样本量小的限制，这使得我们调查调解人和调解人的能力不足。需要更多的研究来验证注意偏差修正对威胁注意偏差的影响。

结论

这项试点研究表明，未来的研究应该结合 CBT 调查注意偏见。更大的样本将提供机会进一步研究 ABM 的工作机制，以及潜在的调节因素和心理生理学测量在恐慌症中的使用。