OBJECTIVE Attention bias modification training (ABMT) is purported to reduce depression by targeting and modifying an attentional bias for sadness-related stimuli. However, few tests of this hypothesis have been completed. METHOD The present study examined whether change in attentional bias mediated a previously reported association between ABMT condition (active ABMT, sham ABMT, assessments only; N = 145) and depression symptom change among depressed adults. The preregistered, primary measure of attention bias was a discretized eye-tracking metric that quantified the proportion of trials where gaze time was greater for sad stimuli than neutral stimuli. RESULTS Contemporaneous longitudinal simplex mediation indicated that change in attentional bias early in treatment partially mediated the effect of ABMT on depression symptoms. Specificity analyses indicated that in contrast to the eye-tracking mediator, reaction time assessments of attentional bias for sad stimuli (mean bias and trial level variability) and lapses in sustained attention did not mediate the association between ABMT and depression change. Results also suggested that mediation effects were limited to a degree by suboptimal measurement of attentional bias for sad stimuli. CONCLUSION When effective, ABMT may improve depression in part by reducing an attentional bias for sad stimuli, particularly early on during ABMT. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

---

负面注意力偏差的变化介导了注意力偏差修正训练与抑郁症状改善之间的关联。

目标注意偏差修正训练 (ABMT) 旨在通过针对悲伤相关刺激的注意偏差进行针对性和修正来减少抑郁症。然而，几乎没有完成对这一假设的检验。方法 本研究检查了注意力偏差的变化是否介导了先前报道的 ABMT 状况（主动 ABMT，假 ABMT，仅评估；N = 145）与抑郁成人抑郁症状变化之间的关联。预先注册的注意力偏差的主要衡量标准是一个离散的眼动追踪指标，它量化了悲伤刺激的凝视时间比中性刺激更长的试验比例。结果 同期纵向单纯性中介表明，治疗早期注意偏向的变化部分介导了 ABMT 对抑郁症状的影响。特异性分析表明，与眼动追踪介质相比，对悲伤刺激的注意力偏差（平均偏差和试验水平变异性）和持续注意力失误的反应时间评估并未调节 ABMT 与抑郁变化之间的关联。结果还表明，调解效应在一定程度上受到对悲伤刺激的注意力偏差的次优测量的限制。结论 当有效时，ABMT 可以通过减少对悲伤刺激的注意力偏向来部分改善抑郁，特别是在 ABMT 的早期。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。对悲伤刺激的注意偏差（平均偏差和试验水平变异性）和持续注意失误的反应时间评估并未调节 ABMT 与抑郁症变化之间的关联。结果还表明，调解效应在一定程度上受到对悲伤刺激的注意力偏差的次优测量的限制。结论 当有效时，ABMT 可以通过减少对悲伤刺激的注意力偏向来部分改善抑郁，特别是在 ABMT 的早期。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。对悲伤刺激的注意偏差（平均偏差和试验水平变异性）和持续注意失误的反应时间评估并未调节 ABMT 与抑郁症变化之间的关联。结果还表明，调解效应在一定程度上受到对悲伤刺激的注意力偏差的次优测量的限制。结论 当有效时，ABMT 可以通过减少对悲伤刺激的注意力偏向来部分改善抑郁，特别是在 ABMT 的早期。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。