ABMT for Social Anxiety Disorder

Recruiting at1 trial location

Overseen by Jeremy W Pettit, PhD

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Waitlist Available

Sponsor: Florida International University

No Placebo Group

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a computer-based therapy called ABMT on kids aged 10-14 with social anxiety. The therapy aims to help them focus less on negative social cues, which may reduce their anxiety. Researchers will compare brain activity and anxiety levels between those who get ABMT and those who do not. Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) is a novel computer-based treatment for anxiety disorders, proposed as an efficient and accessible psychological therapy.

Do I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but you can continue a stable dose of stimulant or non-stimulant medication for ADHD.

What data supports the idea that ABMT for Social Anxiety Disorder is an effective treatment?

The available research shows that ABMT can be effective for treating social anxiety disorder. One study found that ABMT and another treatment, CBM-I, both helped reduce social anxiety. Another study showed that ABMT helped children who didn't respond to another treatment, CBT, by reducing their anxiety symptoms. This suggests that ABMT can be a useful option, especially for those who don't benefit from other treatments. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

What safety data exists for Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) for Social Anxiety Disorder?

The provided research abstracts do not explicitly mention safety data for ABMT. They focus on the efficacy of ABMT in treating anxiety disorders, including social anxiety disorder, and its effects when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). However, none of the studies specifically address safety outcomes or adverse effects related to ABMT. ^{1 2 4 5 6}

Is Attention Bias Modification Treatment a promising treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder?

Yes, Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) is a promising treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder. Research shows that it helps reduce anxiety by changing how people focus on threats. It has been effective in both adults and young people, and it can also enhance other therapies like cognitive-behavioral group therapy. ^{1 2 5 7 8}

Research Team

Wendy K Silverman, PhD

Principal Investigator

Yale University

Jeremy W Pettit, PhD

Principal Investigator

Florida International University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for youths aged 10-14 with Social Anxiety Disorder, without severe other psychiatric conditions or current psychotropic medication (except for stable ADHD treatment). They must not have a history of neurological illness, significant head injury, uncorrected vision or physical disabilities affecting mouse use, nor meet criteria for certain other disorders.

Inclusion Criteria

My social anxiety is more severe than any other mental health issues I have.

I am only taking medication for ADHD and nothing else for mental health.

I am between 10 and 14 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

Be a victim of undisclosed abuse requiring investigation/supervision by the Department of Social Services

I have had a neurological illness, seizures, epilepsy, or a significant head injury.

Have an uncorrected vision or physical disability that interferes with the ability to click a mouse button rapidly and repeatedly

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Attention Bias Modification Treatment (Behavioral Intervention)
• Neutral Control Task (Behavioral Intervention)

Trial Overview The study tests Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) against a Neutral Control Task (NCT) in reducing social anxiety. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of the two computer-based treatments over eight sessions. The effectiveness will be measured using EEG and social anxiety severity ratings.

Participant Groups

Group I: Attention Bias Modification Treatment Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Attention Bias Modification Treatment is a computer-based attention training program.

Group II: Neutral Control Task Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Neutral Control Task uses the same computer-based format as Attention Bias Modification Treatment, but includes only neutral stimuli and does not train attention.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Florida International University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

114

Recruited

19,400+

Andrés G. Gil

Florida International University

Chief Executive Officer

PhD in Medical Sociology from the University of Miami

Dr. Stuart Hart

Florida International University

Chief Medical Officer

MD from Harvard Medical School

Yale University

Collaborator

Trials

1,963

Recruited

3,046,000+

Nancy J. Brown

Yale University

Chief Medical Officer since 2020

MD from Yale School of Medicine

Peter Salovey

Yale University

Chief Executive Officer since 2013

PhD in Psychology from Yale University

Findings from Research

In a randomized controlled trial with 67 youth diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, both Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) and attention control training (ACT) significantly reduced anxiety symptoms, but ABMT did not show superior efficacy over ACT.

Older children and those with lower attention control benefited more from ABMT, suggesting that age and individual differences in attention may influence treatment outcomes, highlighting the importance of tailoring interventions to developmental stages.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention bias modification for youth with social anxiety disorder. Pergamin-Hight, L., Pine, DS., Fox, NA., et al.[2019]

In a study involving 95 adults with social anxiety disorder, Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) was found to be more effective than Cognitive Bias Modification of Interpretation (CBM-I) in reducing social anxiety symptoms, with significant improvements noted in both clinician ratings and self-reports.

The combination of ABMT and CBM-I did not show superior efficacy compared to ABMT alone, indicating that ABMT may be the more effective standalone treatment for alleviating symptoms of social anxiety.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention and interpretation bias modification treatment for social anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial of efficacy and synergy. Naim, R., Kivity, Y., Bar-Haim, Y., et al.[2019]

Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) shows promise in reducing anxiety symptoms in children who did not respond to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as evidenced by significant decreases in self-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms in a case series of six children aged around 11 years.

All participants completed the ABMT protocol without any missed sessions, indicating that it is a feasible treatment option for children with anxiety disorders who continue to experience symptoms after CBT.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention Bias Modification Treatment for children with anxiety disorders who do not respond to cognitive behavioral therapy: a case series. Bechor, M., Pettit, JW., Silverman, WK., et al.[2021]

Attention bias modification treatment (ABMT) has been shown to significantly reduce anxiety symptoms in clinically anxious patients, with a moderate effect size (d = 0.42) based on a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 589 patients.

ABMT is more effective when delivered in a clinical setting compared to at home, as indicated by a significant reduction in clinician-rated anxiety symptoms, while self-reported anxiety changes were not statistically significant.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Quantitative evaluation of the clinical efficacy of attention bias modification treatment for anxiety disorders. Linetzky, M., Pergamin-Hight, L., Pine, DS., et al.[2018]

In a study involving 63 anxious children, both active and placebo attention bias modification treatment (ABMT) combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) led to greater reductions in clinician-rated anxiety symptoms compared to CBT alone.

Only the active ABMT group showed significant improvements in self- and parent-rated anxiety symptoms, suggesting that the active intervention may enhance the effectiveness of CBT in treating anxiety disorders in youth.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention bias modification treatment augmenting effects on cognitive behavioral therapy in children with anxiety: randomized controlled trial. Shechner, T., Rimon-Chakir, A., Britton, JC., et al.[2021]

Attention training (ATT) has shown promise as an effective treatment for social anxiety disorder (SOC) in children, as demonstrated by a study involving two boys who completed 10 sessions of ATT and experienced reductions in their anxiety levels.

This study provides preliminary evidence for the utility of ATT in treating childhood SOC, highlighting the need for further research to explore its effectiveness and the underlying mechanisms of change.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention training in socially anxious children: a multiple baseline design analysis. Cowart, MJ., Ollendick, TH.[2015]

In a randomized controlled trial involving 50 patients with social anxiety disorder, those who received cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) combined with attention bias modification (ABM) showed greater reductions in clinician-rated symptoms of social anxiety compared to those who received CBGT with a placebo, with effects lasting for 3 months after treatment.

The study suggests that training patients to shift their attention away from perceived threats may enhance the effectiveness of standard CBGT for social anxiety disorder, although changes in attention bias did not directly mediate the improvement in anxiety symptoms.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention bias modification augments cognitive-behavioral group therapy for social anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Lazarov, A., Marom, S., Yahalom, N., et al.[2019]

References

1. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention bias modification for youth with social anxiety disorder. [2019]

2. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention and interpretation bias modification treatment for social anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial of efficacy and synergy. [2019]

3. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention Bias Modification Treatment for children with anxiety disorders who do not respond to cognitive behavioral therapy: a case series. [2021]

4. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Training-associated changes and stability of attention bias in youth: Implications for Attention Bias Modification Treatment for pediatric anxiety. [2021]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Quantitative evaluation of the clinical efficacy of attention bias modification treatment for anxiety disorders. [2018]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention bias modification treatment augmenting effects on cognitive behavioral therapy in children with anxiety: randomized controlled trial. [2021]

7. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention training in socially anxious children: a multiple baseline design analysis. [2015]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attention bias modification augments cognitive-behavioral group therapy for social anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled trial. [2019]