NCT03238118

Attention Bias Modification, Attention Control and Psychoeducation for Irritability in Children and Adolescents

Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Attention Bias Modification, Attention Control and Psychoeducation for Irritability in Children and Adolescents

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 140 (actual)
• Sponsor: Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 9 Years – 12 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The aim of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of an attention bias modification training if compared to an attention control and psychoeducation to reduce the symptoms of irritability among children with high levels of irritability.

Detailed description

Children with high levels of irritability have showed significant bias towards threatening faces. Computerized training programs have showed to be able to successfully modify these biases in children with mood and anxiety disorders. Of particular importance, a study examined the effects of attention training towards positive stimuli on attention biases and anxiety symptoms in pediatric anxiety disorders. In the attention-towards-positive condition, children searched picture arrays for a happy face amongst angry faces. In the attention-training control condition, children searched for a bird amongst flowers. This study showed significantly greater reductions in clinician-rated diagnostic severity and number of diagnoses of anxiety with that training. However, no study has investigated the role of these training in children and adolescents with high levels of irritability The present project, aims to examine the effects of the attention bias modification training and compare to attention-training control condition and psychoeducation in children with high levels of irritability.

Conditions

• Irritability

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Attention bias modification training	Participants will complete the assigned attention-training task three times a week for two weeks (six sessions), yielding 960 trials. Each session consists of three parts: evaluating the individual baseline, training and testing. Participants will also be required to complete a self-report assessment before and after each session. Participants will be evaluated at baseline, the end of week 1 and at the end of week 2 by blind investigators. Psychoeducation Participants will receive psychoeducation once a week for two weeks. Participants will also be required to complete a self-report assessment before and after each session of psychoeducation. Participants will be evaluated at baseline, the end of week 1 and at the end of week 2 by blind investigators.
OTHER	Attention Control Training	Attention Control Training Participants will complete the assigned attention-training task three times a week for two weeks (six sessions), yielding 960 trials. Each session consists of three parts: evaluating the individual baseline, training and testing. Participants will also be required to complete a self-report assessment before and after each session. Participants will be evaluated at baseline, the end of week 1 and at the end of week 2 by blind investigators. Psychoeducation Participants will receive psychoeducation once a week for two weeks. Participants will also be required to complete a self-report assessment before and after each session of psychoeducation. Participants will be evaluated at baseline, the end of week 1 and at the end of week 2 by blind investigators.
OTHER	Psychoeducation	Participants will receive psychoeducation once a week for two weeks. Participants will also be required to complete a self-report assessment before and after each session of psychoeducation. Participants will be evaluated at baseline, the end of week 1 and at the end of week 2.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-04-18
• Primary completion: 2020-09-24
• Completion: 2020-09-24
• First posted: 2017-08-03
• Last updated: 2020-10-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Brazil