Achtergrond: Mensen met een angststoornis hebben vaak een aandacht bias voor angst (ABT). Hoog angstige mensen zijn vigilant voor milde bedreigingen (MT) en vermijdend voor hoge bedreigingen (HT)....Show moreAchtergrond: Mensen met een angststoornis hebben vaak een aandacht bias voor angst (ABT). Hoog angstige mensen zijn vigilant voor milde bedreigingen (MT) en vermijdend voor hoge bedreigingen (HT). De methoden om deze ABT vast te stellen zijn niet betrouwbaar genoeg. Daarom heeft Grafton et al. (2021) de attentional dual probe taak ontwikkeld. Ook deze blijkt niet betrouwbaar genoeg. In ons onderzoek hebben we deze taak aangepast en onderzocht of het betrouwbaar ABT kan meten, en of eerdere bevindingen over de relatie tussen ABT en trait anxiety gerepliceerd kunnen worden. In deze paper wordt alleen data gerapporteerd van de correlatie trait anxiety en MT bias. Methode: 49 participanten (leeftijd 18-31: 11 mannen, 38 vrouwen) hebben op twee dagen (interval: 7-9 dagen) een attentional dual probe taak uitgevoerd. Hierin werd onderscheid gemaakt in stimuli/probe locatie (boven/onder en links/rechts van fixatiepunt) en de threat-level van de stimuli (MT/HT), en werden de probes 20ms. getoond. Resultaten: De participanten hadden geen algemene ABT, MT bias en/of HT bias, en er was geen verschil tussen het hebben van een MT- en HT bias. Voor trait anxiety is er een positieve correlatie gevonden met algemene ABT, MT bias en HT bias. Voor de betrouwbaarheid en validiteit zijn hoge waardes (>.9) gevonden. Conclusie: Dit onderzoek toont aan dat onze methode betrouwbaar ABT kan meten en valide is. De correlatie tussen trait anxiety en MT bias wordt gevonden zoals verwacht. De correlaties tussen trait anxiety en algemene ABT/HT bias wordt niet gevonden zoals verwacht volgens de aangehouden theorie.Show less
Extensive literature demonstrated the relation of trait anxiety to attentional bias to threat. Several studies pointed to the moderating role of attentional control. This study investigated whether...Show moreExtensive literature demonstrated the relation of trait anxiety to attentional bias to threat. Several studies pointed to the moderating role of attentional control. This study investigated whether trait anxiety correlated with attentional bias to threat and if this relation was moderated by one’s attentional control ability. Participants (N = 56) were aged between 18 and 31 years. To measure trait anxiety, participants filled out the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory. Attentional control was measured using the Attentional Control Scale. A dual probe task was employed to assess participants’ attentional bias to threat. Based on previous research it was hypothesized that trait anxiety would positively correlate with attentional bias to mild threat when attentional control is low and that there would be no correlation between the two variables when attentional control is high. Further, it was hypothesized that trait anxiety and attentional bias to high threat would correlate negatively when attentional control is low while showing no association when attentional control is high. Pearson correlation coefficients and linear regression analyses revealed that trait anxiety and attentional bias to mild threat showed a significant positive correlation, but attentional control did not moderate the association. Contrary to expectations, trait anxiety correlated significantly positively with attentional bias to high threat and attentional control did not moderate the association. It was concluded that trait anxiety was related to attentional bias to threat. It was unclear, however, under which conditions individuals showed engagement or disengagement from threat. The moderating role of attentional control was not replicated.Show less
ACHTERGROND: In dit onderzoek staat de relatie tussen Attentional Bias to Threat (ABT) en angststoornissen centraal. ABT is de vooringenomen neiging om te focussen op dreigende stimuli in de...Show moreACHTERGROND: In dit onderzoek staat de relatie tussen Attentional Bias to Threat (ABT) en angststoornissen centraal. ABT is de vooringenomen neiging om te focussen op dreigende stimuli in de omgeving (vigilance) of juist het vermijden ervan (avoidance) en speelt een rol bij de ontwikkeling en het in stand houden van angststoornissen. Een belangrijk meetinstrument om ABT te meten, de Dot Probe Task, vertoont inconsistenties in de resultaten en een verminderde betrouwbaarheid. Daarom wordt de Dual Probe Task (DTP) geïntroduceerd als een beter alternatief om ABT te meten. Eerdere bevindingen dienen echter te worden gerepliceerd. HYPOTHESEN: In dit onderzoek werden drie hypothesen getest. Deze hadden betrekking op de correlatie tussen ABT en Trait Anxiety, tussen ABT en Attentional Control (AC), en de Interne Consistentie (IC) van de DPT bij cues van hoge dreiging. Dit werd getest aan de hand van een nieuwe methode: de Dual Probe Task. METHODEN: In dit onderzoek is gebruikt gemaakt van de Spielberger’s STAI-t, Derryberry’s Trait ACS en de Dual Probe Task. Deze laatste methode is een computertaak van 344 trials waarbij er tegelijkertijd twee cue afbeeldingen worden getoond. Deze afbeeldingen worden gevolgd door twee target letters. Hierna wordt alleen de letter die het beste is waargenomen gerapporteerd. Het resultaat van de test zou een afspiegeling moeten zijn van de aandachtsbias van de proefpersoon. RESULTATEN: Uit de resultaten is gebleken dat er geen significante verschillen zijn in de reactie op cues van milde en hoge dreiging. Ook werden er geen significante correlaties gevonden tussen ABT en Attentional Control. Tot slot bleek er wel sprake te zijn van een zeer hoge interne consistentie voor hoog dreigende cues. CONCLUSIE: Dit onderzoek biedt inzichten voor het verbeteren van meetinstrumenten in het onderzoek naar ABT en de behandeling van angststoornissen. Toch is er altijd ruimte voor verbetering. Zo moet gewenning aan dreigende afbeeldingen worden voorkomen, kunnen andere cue-delay tijden worden verkend en kan er worden nagedacht over het onderzoeken van een angstigere sample. Tot slot moet er kritisch worden gekeken naar de zeer hoge IC-waardes voor high threat gezien dit ook kan duiden op strategiegebruik door participanten en juist onbetrouwbare uitkomsten.Show less
Background: Habitually attending to threat may contribute to anxiety. This threat-oriented attentional bias (AB) may occur in state anxiety (SA) and/or trait anxiety (TA). Current evidence is mixed...Show moreBackground: Habitually attending to threat may contribute to anxiety. This threat-oriented attentional bias (AB) may occur in state anxiety (SA) and/or trait anxiety (TA). Current evidence is mixed, possibly due to the low reliability/internal validity of a popular AB measurement tool, the Dot Probe. This study aims to clarify previous findings with a novel tool, the Dual Probe. Hypothesis: We predict those high in TA and SA will exhibit the highest threat-orientation levels, followed by those with solely high SA, then those with solely high TA. We predict low TA/SA to correlate with threat-avoidance or neutrality. Methods: Female Leiden University students (n = 58) completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The Dual Probe task involved two on-screen pictures (mildly-threatening, neutral). After image offset, two letters appeared (50ms) in their respective locations, with participants instructed to press whichever key they saw. Threat-orientation was scored as proportion of threat-associated versus neutral-associated keypresses. Results: Analysis indicated re-test reliability of the Dual Probe (Spearman-Brown of .88). Bivariate Pearson’s r found no correlations between TA/SA and threat-orientation (TA revealed r = .03, p = .817; SA revealed r = -.05, p = .689). A multiple regression found no evidence of interaction effects (F (3, 54) = 0.986, p = .406, R2 = -.001). Discussion: Results suggest either a limited role of threat-oriented AB in the occurrence/maintenance of anxiety, or limitations in the study methods and sample. Possible theoretical connections to existing literature and practical implications for treatment are discussed, alongside future directions for the Dual Probe.Show less
In this study we tried to replicate the previously found relation between attentional bias to threat and trait-anxiety (measured with the Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), using the...Show moreIn this study we tried to replicate the previously found relation between attentional bias to threat and trait-anxiety (measured with the Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), using the Dual Dot Probe Task. The relationship between attentional bias and attentional control (measured with the Derryberry & Reed’s Trait attentional Control Scale) was also studied. Individual differences in attentional control could moderate the threat level of the attentional bias, more attentional control could lead to a better reaction to different experienced threat levels. In this study there is also attention for the effects of different threat levels (mild and high). According to Mogg and Bradley’s Model (1998) people adjust themselves when the threat level changes. According to this model people with low anxiety direct no attention to mild threatening stimuli, but do direct attention to high threatening stimuli. People with high anxiety are expected to direct more attention to mild threatening stimuli en show avoidance for high threatening stimuli. The results in this study show no attentional bias for high or mild threat within the sample. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Dual Dot Probe Task was also studied, both of them were found to be very high. Further research will have to show whether an attentional bias to threat will be found with a shorter cure target delay (shorter than 500ms), and if the very high reliability of the Dual Dot Probe Task can be replicated.Show less
Aandachtscontrole (AC) wordt gerapporteerd van invloed te zijn op de aandachtsbias (attentional bias; AB) dat een invidiu heeft naar milde en hoge dreiging. Het blijkt dat een hoge AC gerelateerd...Show moreAandachtscontrole (AC) wordt gerapporteerd van invloed te zijn op de aandachtsbias (attentional bias; AB) dat een invidiu heeft naar milde en hoge dreiging. Het blijkt dat een hoge AC gerelateerd is aan minder aandacht richting milde dreiging en meer aandacht richting hoge dreiging, en een lage AC verband houdt met meer aandacht richting milde dreiging en minder aandacht richting hoge dreiging. AC werd gemeten door de 56 deelnemende participanten de Attentional Control Scale (ACS) vragenlijst te laten invullen. Tot op heden werd AB gemeten een dot probe taak. In het huidige onderzoek werd een nieuwe dot probe taak, genaamd dual probe taak, gebruikt. Participanten kregen neutrale, mild dreigende of hoog dreigende stimuli te zien en werden gevraagd te rapporteren welke stimuli zij het duidelijkst waarnamen. Resultaten lieten geen significante AB naar zowel milde als hoge dreiging zien. Ook werden er geen significante correlaties gevonden tussen AC en AB voor respectievelijk milde en hoge dreiging. De hoge interne consistentie van de taak is opvallend. Het suggereert dat de taak zelf betrouwbaar is, maar wellicht een ander construct meet dan gewenst is voor dit onderzoek. Verder wordt geconcludeerd dat het cue-target delay gebruikt in deze studie (500 ms) mogelijk te lang is om het effect van AB accuraat te kunnen meten.Show less
Background: The personality factors neuroticism, conscientiousness, and extraversion, as well as threat-related attentional bias are significantly associated with anxiety disorders,...Show moreBackground: The personality factors neuroticism, conscientiousness, and extraversion, as well as threat-related attentional bias are significantly associated with anxiety disorders, transdiagnostically. Hypothesis: These personality constructs are correlated with attentional bias, and it might be through this that they create vulnerability for anxiety. Methods: The cross-sectional experimental study (N = 40) administered a dual-probe-task with neutral, mildly-threatening, and highly-threatening images. Results: Significant negative associations with big effect sizes were found between conscientiousness and attending towards threat. More conscientious individuals automatically attended away from mild-threats. Conclusion and Implications: A pathway through which conscientiousness may be acting to create vulnerability for anxiety was proposed. The goal engagement system, as hypothesized in the cognitive- motivational model by Mogg & Bradley, keeps the attention automatically on goal-related stimuli in the absence of a perceived true threat in the environment. The current study adds a new layer to this model, illustrating how intact one’s goal engagement system, even in the absence of pathologic anxiety, is on a spectrum, and can be operationalized by one’s conscientiousness level. Individuals with lower levels of conscientiousness would not have a strong goal engagement system, not resulting in an automatic avoidance of mild-threats, leading overtime to an accumulation of evidence for negative cues, making it easier to form cognitive distortions, predisposing one to anxiety. Increasing conscientiousness might be a promising psychotherapeutic target. Crucial for the anxiety-related attentional bias research field, exploratory analyses showed conscientiousness to be a more important predictor of attentional bias, compared to attentional control. Future attentional bias studies should assess conscientiousness.Show less
Research so far has shown that sleep is associated with and can predict suicidal ideation. One potential mediating variable in this relationship is mood, while studies have shown that mood is...Show moreResearch so far has shown that sleep is associated with and can predict suicidal ideation. One potential mediating variable in this relationship is mood, while studies have shown that mood is associated with both sleep and suicidal ideation. However, there is no known study so far on this topic. Therefore, the present single-case study aims at testing the mediation effect of mood on the relationship between sleep and short-term suicidal ideation using the Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) method. Both subjective and objective sleep quality measures were included. The study lasted 21 days, and the participant had to complete a short online questionnaire four times per day, administered on their phone. The questionnaire collected self-reported data on subjective sleep quality, mood, and suicidal ideation. Objective sleep quality was assessed using an actiwatch positioned on the participant's hand. Our hypotheses were that both objective and subjective poor sleep quality would lead to a subsequent decrease in positive mood over the day, which, in turn, would be associated with short-term (daily) increases in suicidal ideation. Two first-order autoregressive (AR[1]) multilevel models were developed, testing for each of the two sleep parameters separately. Statistical analyses revealed non-significant effects of both subjective and objective sleep quality on mood and suicidal ideation. However, results showed a significant effect of mood on suicidal ideation. This finding supports the importance of mood associations with suicidal ideation. We suggest that future research further explores the mediation effect of mood on the relationship between sleep and short-term suicidal ideation using larger samples and broader-item sleep scales.Show less
Background: Suicide forms a leading cause of death in the world, but much remains unknown about the daily risk factors for it. Stressful events are known to precede suicide attempts, but no...Show moreBackground: Suicide forms a leading cause of death in the world, but much remains unknown about the daily risk factors for it. Stressful events are known to precede suicide attempts, but no conclusions can be drawn about the proximal effect of stress on suicidal ideation and behavior. In addition, promising protective factors against stress and suicidal ideation, such as optimism, are yet to be studied in real-time. This case study aimed to discover more about the effect of stress on momentary suicidal ideation and whether optimism could protect an individual from the effects of stress. Methods: One participant was followed in daily life for 21 consecutive days, completing ecological momentary assessment (EMA) through a mobile phone app four times a day. EMA assessed stressful events, level of suicidal ideation and level of optimism. Simple linear regression analysis was performed to study the effect of stress on suicidal ideation and moderation analysis was performed to study the protective effect of optimism. Results: Stress was associated with momentary levels of suicidal ideation, with more stressful events being associated with more severe suicidal ideation. Optimism did not moderate the relationship between stress and suicidal ideation. Optimism independently was associated with momentary levels of suicidal ideation. Conclusions: Stress formed a significant risk factor for momentary suicidal ideation in a case study of daily predictors of suicidal ideation. Further replications of this study are needed to generalize the findings, but including stress management in treatment for suicidal symptoms might be particularly beneficial.Show less
Background: Threat-related attentional biases (ABs) in anxiety show considerable heterogeneity; there is evidence for hypervigilance to, and avoidance of threat. Taking the stimulus threat level...Show moreBackground: Threat-related attentional biases (ABs) in anxiety show considerable heterogeneity; there is evidence for hypervigilance to, and avoidance of threat. Taking the stimulus threat level and attentional control (AC) into account is thought to aid in explaining this heterogeneity. Prior work on the relations between these variables showed inconclusive results. Hypotheses: Trait anxiety levels, AC levels, and their interaction are associated with different patterns of AB scores, depending on the stimulus’s threat level. Methods: Fifty-two participants completed self-report measures of trait anxiety and AC and participated in a dot-probe task with neutral, mild threat, and high threat pictorial stimuli. Hypotheses were tested with rm ANOVAs and post-hoc correlation tests. Results: High trait anxiety was associated with hypervigilant AB to mild threat, but no association with AB to high threat was found. Low AC was related to more avoidance of high threat, but not to AB to mild threat. AC did not moderate the relationship between trait anxiety and threat-level dependent AB. Discussion and Conclusions: These findings confirm that threat level influences threat-related ABs in anxiety. While this relationship was not further influenced by individual differences in AC, the role AC on its own plays in threat-level dependent ABs is supported.Show less
The presented study targets the interplay of stress exposure and attentional responses towards threats in connection to trait anxiety. Previous research suggests that an underlying change in threat...Show moreThe presented study targets the interplay of stress exposure and attentional responses towards threats in connection to trait anxiety. Previous research suggests that an underlying change in threat-appraisal (indicated through higher trait anxiety scores) might significantly alter the attentional response of individuals when exposed to stress. Instead of displaying an attentional bias towards mild threats, it was hypothesised that the higher the score in trait anxiety assessment, the greater the avoidance behaviour. This project included 64 female students of Leiden University and assessed trait anxiety via Spielberger’s State-Trait-Anxiety-Inventory. Stress (psychosocial, physiological and anticipatory) was induced with three tasks prior to the start of the main experiment. To measure the attentional bias, a dot-probe task was implemented. The task consisted of 206 trials with an 80ms cue delay. Multiple regression analyses and post-hoc correlation analyses were performed, where almost no significant results were observed. Trait anxiety displayed significant effects, while stress exposure remained non-significant. The interaction of trait anxiety and stress exposure did not explain additional variance. The hypothesis regarding the change in attentional responses was thus rejected. Posthoc testing showed no significant correlations between trait anxiety and attentional bias and stress exposure and attentional bias. It remains unclear whether stress exposure significantly affects the attentional response towards threats in relation to trait anxiety.Show less
