NCT04819230

A Cognitive Bias Modification RCT for Aggression

Attention and Interpretation Bias Modification for Aggression Difficulties

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 45 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Temple University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This randomized controlled trial will test a computerized cognitive bias modification program (CBM) to treat attention and interpretive biases in patients with primary aggression.

Detailed description

The objective of the proposed study is to test a computerized cognitive bias modification program (CBM) to treat attention and interpretive biases in patients with Intermittent Explosive Disorder, a disorder characterized by habitual engagement in aggressive behavior. Efficacy of the CBM program will be assessed via a small randomized controlled trial comparing CBM to a computerized control condition. This training program would consist of a four-week regimen of twice-weekly 30-minute sessions (8 sessions total) during which individuals would learn to: (a) focus attention away from threatening words toward neutral words \[attention bias\], and (b) to disambiguate ambiguous interpersonal scenarios using more benign, rather than threatening, interpretations \[interpretive bias\]. Participants will be asked to complete behavioral measures of attention bias and interpretive bias, as well as self-report measures of anger / aggression, interpretive bias, emotion regulation and life satisfaction at baseline (pre-training), post-training, and 1-month follow-up.

Conditions

• Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Cognitive Bias Modification	A four-week computerized attentional and interpretive bias modification protocol in which participants complete both ATT and ITT tasks twice per week, totaling to eight experimental sessions (see experimental arm for more detail.)
BEHAVIORAL	Cognitive Bias Control	A four-week computerized attentional and interpretive stimuli protocol in which participants complete both ATT-C and ITT-C tasks twice per week, totaling to eight control sessions (see placebo control arm for more detail.)

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-05-01
• Primary completion: 2023-05-01
• Completion: 2023-06-01
• First posted: 2021-03-26
• Last updated: 2021-03-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States