Attention Training for Adolescents with Soical Anxiety Disorder

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的主要目的是为社交焦虑障碍（SAD）青少年制定注意力训练（AT）方案。 对威胁的注意力偏差已被证明与成人和青年中焦虑症的发展和维持相关（Bar-Haim等人，2007; Cowart & Ollendick，2010; Perez-Edgar等人，2010; Schechner等人，2011年）。鉴于这些关系，AT范式已经发展到修改这些注意力的偏见。这些范例已被证明在成人焦虑症的治疗中是有希望的（Amir等人，2009; Buckner & Timpano，2009; Klumpp & Amir，2010;麦克劳德& Bridle，2006;里奇&施密特，2006）。然而，到目前为止，只有两项小型研究检查了儿童使用AT，并且没有专门针对儿童或青少年使用的ATT方案。这一点很重要，因为将成人设计的治疗方法应用于青少年会产生并发症，而且可能无效（Ollendick & Vasey，2001）。鉴于文献中的这一差距，本研究的主要目的是开发一种治疗方案，以解决注意力偏差和焦虑的青少年SAD，收集有关该计划的短期疗效和可行性的初步数据，并探讨注意力偏差作为中介和调解人的初步治疗结果。据推测，在本项目中开发的AT协议，与安慰剂对照比较条件相比，将导致社交焦虑减少与SAD的青少年样本。此外，AT方案预计将减少治疗前存在此类偏见的青少年对威胁的注意力偏见（并非所有青少年都预计会显示出这种偏见，但AT已被证明对这些青少年可能有效;注意力偏见的存在/不存在将作为变化的调节因素进行探索）。这项拟议的研究将是评估聚焦于血管的AT手术治疗SAD的可行性的关键一步。结果将有助于一个新兴的研究机构探索改善效果的实验范式，目标信息处理偏见在焦虑的青年。鉴于新出现的关于在成年人群中使用AT的证据，本研究的结果可能对改善目前焦虑青少年的预防和治疗方案具有影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary objective of this study is to develop an Attention Training (AT) protocol for adolescents with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Attentional biases to threat have been shown to be associated with the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders, in both adults and youth (Bar-Haim et al., 2007; Cowart & Ollendick, 2010; Perez-Edgar et al., 2010; Schechner et al., 2011). Given these relations, AT paradigms have been developed to modify these attentional biases. Such paradigms have been shown to be promising in the treatment of adult anxiety (Amir et al, 2009; Buckner & Timpano, 2009; Klumpp & Amir, 2010; MacLeod & Bridle, 2006; Richey & Schmidt, 2006). However, to date, only two small studies have examined the use of AT with children, and no ATT protocol has been developed specifically for use with children or adolescents. This is important, given the complications and possible ineffectiveness of applying adult-designed therapies to youth (Ollendick & Vasey, 2001). Given this gap in the literature, the primary aims of the current study are intended to develop a treatment program to address attentional biases and anxiety in adolescents with SAD, to collect preliminary data regarding the program's short-term efficacy and feasibility, and to explore attention biases as a mediator and moderator of initial treatment outcomes. It is hypothesized that the AT protocol developed in the current project, compared to a placebo control comparator condition, will result in reductions in social anxiety among a sample of adolescents with SAD. Further, the AT protocol is expected to reduce attentional biases to threat among those adolescents who possess such biases prior to treatment (not all adolescents are expected to show this bias yet AT has been shown to be potentially effective with these youth; the presence/absence of attention bias will be explored as a moderator of change). The proposed study will be a pivotal step towards assessing the feasibility of an adolescent-focused AT procedure for the treatment of SAD. Results will contribute to an emerging body of research exploring the ameliorating effects of experimental paradigms that target information processing biases in anxious youth. Given emerging evidence regarding the use of AT in adult populations, findings from this study may have implications for improving the current prevention and treatment options available for anxious adolescents.