NCT05294848

Increasing Psychological Resilience in Combat Soldiers Applying Advanced Eye-Tracking-Based Attention Bias Modification

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 501 (actual)
• Sponsor: Tel Aviv University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Military service in combat units entails exposure to traumatic events that require mental adjustment. To develop and efficiently apply attention bias modification interventions aimed at enhancing soldiers' mental resilience, it is essential to test the efficiency of such training programs in RCTs. The purpose of the current study is to examine the efficiency of a new attention eye-tracking-based training protocol, in comparison to an RT-based training protocol, and to a control group, in reducing risk for post-trauma symptoms in combat deployed soldiers.

Detailed description

Following the explanation to participants regarding the study process, those who give written consent to participate will be randomly placed into one of three groups: GCFT (N=180), ABMT (N=180), and a neutral control group - RT-based task (N=180). The study will include 3 measurement points: before attention training (in basic training before deployment), after attention training (in basic training camp, still before deployment), and after a combat deployment cycle (6-12 months - to be determined based on the military deployment mission of the participants). In each measurement point, the participants will complete computerized tasks to measure attention and will complete self-report questionnaires.

Conditions

• PTSD
• Depression
• Anxiety Disorders

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Gaze-Contingent Feedback Training	Feedback according to participants' viewing patterns, in order to modify their attention toward threat stimuli.
BEHAVIORAL	Attention Bias Modification	Attention training via repeated trials of a dot-probe task intended to direct attention toward threat stimuli using threat and neutral face stimuli.
BEHAVIORAL	Neutral Control	Dot-probe task using only neutral stimuli with no training toward threat

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-06-30
• Primary completion: 2023-08-14
• Completion: 2024-06-21
• First posted: 2022-03-24
• Last updated: 2025-04-11

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Israel