title: Attention bias modification treatment for pediatric anxiety disorders: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  While attention bias modification (ABM) is a promising novel treatment for anxiety disorders, clinical trial data remain restricted to adults. The authors examined whether ABM induces greater reductions in pediatric anxiety symptoms and symptom severity than multiple control training interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  From a target sample of 186 treatment-seeking children at a hospital-based child anxiety clinic, 40 patients with an ongoing anxiety disorder who met all inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Children were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: ABM designed to shift attention away from threat; placebo attention training using stimuli identical to those in the ABM condition; and placebo attention training using only neutral stimuli. All participants completed four weekly 480-trial sessions (1,920 total trials). Before and after the attention training sessions, children's clinical status was determined via semistructured interviews and questionnaires. Reduction in the number of anxiety symptoms and their severity was compared across the three groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Change in the number of anxiety symptoms and their severity differed across the three conditions. This reflected significant reductions in the number of anxiety symptoms and symptom severity in the ABM condition but not in the placebo attention training or placebo-neutral condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ABM, compared with two control conditions, reduces pediatric anxiety symptoms and severity. Further study of efficacy and underlying mechanisms is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Adler Center for Research in Child Development and Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. nitzansh@post.tau.ac.il
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eldar
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Apter
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lotan
authors.forename: Koraly Perez
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Edgar
authors.forename: Reut
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naim
authors.forename: Nathan A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Pine
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bar-Haim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001288:Attention; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D016896:Treatment Outcome