Neutral and Positive Attention Bias Modification Training for Young Adults With Depressive Symptoms

Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University

This study intends to explore the therapeutic effects of the development of negative attention bias modifaction and positive attention bias on depressive symptoms and redundancy through two different attention training methods: (1) neutral attention training (when neutral and sad stimuli are presented simultaneously, attention is always directed towards neutral stimuli to correct negative attention bias) and (2) positive attention training (when neutral and positive stimuli are presented simultaneously, attention is always directed towards positive stimuli to develop positive attention bias).

Attention Bias Modification Training was a modified dot-probe task. In the neutral attention bias, 90% of the targets in the training group appear in the neutral word position and 10% of the targets appear in the negative word position, while 50% of the targets in the placebo group appear in the neutral word position and 50% of the targets appear in the negative word position. In the positive attention bias, 90% of the targets in the training group appear in the positive word position and 10% of the targets appear in the neutral word position, while 90% of the targets in the placebo group appear in the neutral word position and 10% of the targets appear in the positive word position. The investigators assess attention bias scores, depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, rumination and self-report attention control ability at 1-week, 2-week, 4-week, 7-week, 3-month, 4-month, 5-month, 6-month and 12-month follow-ups after training.

Inclusion Criteria:

• A score of 14 or higher on the Beck Depression Inventory-Ⅱ

Exclusion Criteria:

1. a current episode of MDD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or organic mental disorder;
2. any concurrent psychotherapy;
3. any concurrent psychotropic medication.