title: Attentional biases in clinical populations with alcohol use disorders: is co-morbidity ignored?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify how psychiatric co-morbidity was identified and assessed, in studies of attentional bias in clinical samples of patients with alcohol use disorders (AUDs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic review methodology was used to identify studies and abstract data on alcohol-related attentional biases and measurement of psychiatric co-morbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventeen papers were identified that met the criteria for inclusion. All but one study were in patients meeting criteria for alcohol dependence. In 10 of the 17 studies, either no mention or minimal statements were made pertaining to possible co-morbid conditions (including other substance use): five excluded patients with psychiatric diagnoses, (variously defined), and two excluded patients on 'psychotropic medication'. Slow response latencies to all word types were found in studies where co-morbid conditions were not considered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the high prevalence of psychiatric pathology in patients with AUDs (particularly depression), and the acknowledged impact that this has on aetiology, presentation and outcome, psychiatric co-morbidity has not been consistently measured or described in experimental studies on alcohol-related attentional biases in clinical samples. In order to have an accurate appreciation of the role of attentional biases in patients with AUDs, there needs to be a consistent approach to measuring the co-occurrence of other psychopathology. Further research is needed to assess the impact of co-morbidities on attentional biases in AUDs, to enable the development of more targeted psychological and pharmacological treatments.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Group, Division of Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK. Julia.sinclair@soton.ac.uk
authors.forename: Julia M A
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.forename: Bina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nausheen
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Garner
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Baldwin
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D001288:Attention; D015982:Bias; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology