Attention Bias Modification Versus Attention Control in Treatment of Social Anxiety

Tel Aviv University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Social Anxiety; Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia); Social Anxiety Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Attention Control; Behavioral: Attention Bias Modification

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05018260

TAUAttentionControl

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical efficacy of treatment using gaze contingent music reward therapy (GC-MRT) with attention control treatment based on a similar paradigm, for social anxiety disorder (SAD)

Full description

This study examines the possibility that the effectiveness shown for GC-MRT in the treatment of SAD leans on attention control rather than bias modification. Therefore half of the participants will receive the classic GC-MRT course of treatment while the other half a version of the task with non-emotional stimuli (geometric shapes).

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• A signed consent form
• Men and women between the ages of 18 and 65.
• Meeting a current diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder (SP) according to the DSM-IV.
• SP as the primary diagnosis: In cases of co-morbidity, SP will be deemed as the most distressing and clinically significant condition among the co-morbid disorders.
• No current pharmaco-therapy.

Exclusion criteria

• A diagnosis of psychotic or bipolar disorders.
• A diagnosis of a neurological disorder (i.e., epilepsy, brain injury).
• Drug or alcohol abuse.
• Any current pharmacological treatment.
• Any current psychotherapeutic treatment.
• Change in treatment during the study.
• Poor judgment capacity (i.e., children under 18 and special populations).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

GCMRT

Experimental group

Description:

Attention bias modification: participants will receive gaze-contingent feedback according to their viewing patterns on disgusted and neutral faces

Treatment:

Behavioral: Attention Bias Modification

attention control

Experimental group

Description:

Attention control modification: participants will receive gaze-contingent feedback according to their viewing patterns on rounded and sharp geometric shapes

Treatment:

Behavioral: Attention Control