Attentional bias (AB) is when certain stimuli catch attention quicker than others, which varies according to individual characteristics. The study investigated: (1) if there is an AB to or from...Show moreAttentional bias (AB) is when certain stimuli catch attention quicker than others, which varies according to individual characteristics. The study investigated: (1) if there is an AB to or from itch; (2) whether this differs between people with chronic itch and healthy controls; (3) and if there is a possible AB/stress association. This is because understanding ABs to/from itch further elucidates the experience of patients with chronic itch and possible future clinical applications. Furthermore, an explorative analysis compared two tasks measuring AB, namely the Posner cueing and dot-probe task. The two tasks, alongside a stress-questionnaire, were administered online to the participants (N=70). A (frequentist and Bayesian) RM ANOVA was done for the main analysis, and a within- subjects t-test for the explorative task-comparison. Given that the task-comparison found the two tasks differing significantly (p = 0.01 d = -0.31), the results of the two tasks were interpreted separately. Overall, indications of AB being biased away from itch stimuli was found. When the AB was contrasted between participant group (people with and without chronic itch), the Posner cueing task found no significant difference (p = 0.68, ηp 2 = 0.003) whereas the dot-probe task found an AB away from itch-stimuli in patients with chronic itch (p = 0.02, ηp 2 = 0.077). Similar pattern unfolded with the stress-association: the Posner cueing task finding that AB did not significantly differ with stress (p = 0.23, ηp 2 = 0.021). The dot-probe task did find that they significantly differed (p = 0.01, ηp 2 = 0.091) where with higher stress, the AB switched to being an AB towards itch stimuli. The discrepancy between the two tasks aligns with expectations considering that the tasks were found inequivalent - highlighting one of the strengths of this study being that the two tasks were compared. Altogether this points towards differences in what the two tasks tap into, and that the attention of people with chronic itch is biased as a function of stress. Summarizing, AB to itch differed between the two groups and was associated with stress when using dot-probe task, which did not apply to the Posner cueing task.Show less
Itch is an unpleasant sensation that induces scratching and is often accompanied by psychological distress. Chronic itch, such as psoriasis or atopic dermatitis (eczema), has a lifetime prevalence...Show moreItch is an unpleasant sensation that induces scratching and is often accompanied by psychological distress. Chronic itch, such as psoriasis or atopic dermatitis (eczema), has a lifetime prevalence of 22% and often carries a marked psychological burden. Catastrophising of itch symptoms can inhibit coping, increase scratching and lower mood, which maintains scratching and creates a vicious cycle. The relationship between sex, gender and chronic itch is not well understood. More broadly, sex and gender differences often go overlooked – this is called the gender data gap. Therefore, the first research question was, to what extent does catastrophising affect the quality of life of patients with chronic itch? The second research question was, to what extent is there a difference in how catastrophising affects the quality of life of men and women with chronic itch? 27 patients with chronic itch (psoriasis or atopic dermatitis) filled in the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS) adjusted for itch and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) online. Contrary to expectations, a simple linear regression analysis showed that catastrophising was not a significant predictor of quality of life. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis showed that catastrophising does not affect the quality of life of men and women differently. Importantly, the results are limited by low sample size, lack of control variables and the use of convenience sampling. Further research into the relationship between itch catastrophising, quality of life and gender could greatly impact the lives of patients with chronic itch.Show less
Itch is a common unpleasant sensation that comes with the urge to scratch. Itch draws our attention and can be adaptive to humans in order to alert individuals to potential threats. At the same...Show moreItch is a common unpleasant sensation that comes with the urge to scratch. Itch draws our attention and can be adaptive to humans in order to alert individuals to potential threats. At the same time, itch can impair daily functioning and strongly disrupt an individual’s quality of life when it becomes chronic. Even though itch is a prevalent symptom, research investigating an attentional bias towards itch, the tendency to pay attention towards itch-related stimuli over other stimuli, is scarce. Findings in this field are mixed and the divergent results might be explained by individual characteristics. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of individual characteristics; namely neuroticism, catastrophizing and anxiety, on attentional bias towards itch by conducting a secondary analysis. Results from seven similar studies examining an attentional bias towards itch and individual characteristics were analyzed using a multilevel modeling analysis. All these studies used the dot-probe task to measure an attentional bias towards itch-related information (words or pictures). Additionally, several self-report questionnaires were administered, which were related to the individual characteristics. A total of 577 healthy participants were included. Results did not indicate an attentional bias towards itch-related words or pictures. Also, the individual characteristics, neuroticism, catastrophizing and anxiety, did not influence one’s attentional bias towards itch. This secondary analysis was a first step in combining findings on attentional bias towards itch and exploring its relationship with individual characteristics. Further research is warranted to optimize attentional bias measures and conduct more studies that focus on the influence of individual characteristics and attentional bias towards itch.Show less
Itch can produce significant problems and diminish quality of life because it requires a great deal of attention. The studies conducted on attentional bias towards itch differ greatly in results....Show moreItch can produce significant problems and diminish quality of life because it requires a great deal of attention. The studies conducted on attentional bias towards itch differ greatly in results. The primary aim of the current meta-analysis is to determine the overall extent of attentional bias towards visual itch stimuli which healthy individuals display when measured with the dot-probe task. A secondary aim is to investigate how strongly the individual character trait neuroticism predicts attentional bias towards itch in healthy individuals. In total, 563 healthy participants from seven different studies had been included in this meta-analysis for the first hypothesis, and 408 healthy participants from five studies for the second hypothesis. The main findings of the present meta-analysis do not support the notion that healthy individuals display attentional bias towards itch pictures and words (ES = 0.76, SE = 3.43, t (4.27) = 0.22, P = 0.835, 95% CI: -.3.39 to 4.04). Furthermore, it does not support the notion that individuals who score higher on neuroticism have an attentional bias towards itch pictures and words (ES = 0.33, SE = 0.38, t (326.33) = -0.88, P = 0.381, 95% CI: -3.24 to 3.87). This meta-analysis leads to prospective directions to further explore different factors of attentional bias towards itch stimuli. Future researchers need to investigate whether itch stimuli may potentially be biased in patients with chronic itch. Furthermore, studies are needed to investigate whether attentional bias is not reflected in these studies and how the differences in results are caused, for instance by researching other character traits.Show less
