title: Attentional bias modification in posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Attentional bias modification (ABM) is a new treatment for anxiety disorders. Three randomized controlled clinical trials have shown positive effects of ABM in social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. This study investigated the efficacy of ABM in outpatients with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled double-blind trial (n = 102). ABM and control treatment consisted of eight 20-min sessions over the course of 3 weeks. Symptoms and attentional bias were assessed before and after treatment and at 3-week follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ABM and the control treatment were equally effective in reducing the symptoms of PTSD. The effect sizes of the improvement (from before to after treatment) were 0.66 for ABM and 0.46 for the control treatment, which is comparable to the effect sizes of pill-placebos in pharmacotherapy trials of chronic PTSD. Both treatments did not affect attentional bias. The acceptability and tolerability of ABM was moderate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This version of ABM is not an effective treatment of PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maartje
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schoorl
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Putman
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van Der Does
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D016896:Treatment Outcome