Attention Bias Modification Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder in Adolescents

Hunan Normal University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder, Single Episode, Unspecified

Treatments: Behavioral: ABMT

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02078258

1

Details and patient eligibility

About

In this study, we test whether a two-week 8-session neutral attention bias modification (ABM) training and a two-week 4-session positive ABM could reduce depressive symptoms relative to placebo controls in adolescents with major depressive disorder at posttraining and follow-ups during one year.

Full description

Depression is a common health problem in adolescents. Negative attentional bias has been theorized to play a critical role in the onset and maintenance of depression, suggesting that reduction of such biases may treat symptoms of depression. Recent studies have shown that attention bias modification(ABM) training could reduce depressive symptoms in both dysphoria and previously depressed adult patients.To test the effectiveness of ABM training on the treatment of depressive symptoms in depressed adolescents, we designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial in adolescents with major depressive disorder(MDD).

Enrollment: 45 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 11 to 19 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Meet the major depression disorder's criteria

Exclusion criteria

• bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or organic mental disorder;
• any concurrent psychotherapy;
• any concurrent psychotropic medication.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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45 participants in 2 patient groups

Attentional bias modification training

Experimental group

Description:

Attention bias modification training (ABMT) is a a variation of attention tasks to modify attentional biases, in which a probe always appears in the location of relatively positive stimuli after the two stimuli, one neutral and one emotional, were simultaneously presented. Participants complete 8 sessions (320 trials each with 20 minutes) over two weeks of neutral ABMT to shift attention toward neutral, in which a probe appeared in the location of neutral with 90% probability, and sadness-related with 10% probality. At a 9-week follow-up, participants completed 4 more sessions (480 trials each with 30 minutes)over two weeks of positive ABMT to shift attention toward positive words,in which a probe appeared in the location of 67% positive or 33% neutral.

Treatment:

Behavioral: ABMT

Placebo control

Active Comparator group

Description:

The placebo ABMT was identical to the active ABMT, but shifted toward neutral (50%) or sad (50%) stimuli equally often (i.e., 50/50 training).

Treatment:

Behavioral: ABMT