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An experimental investigation of hypervigilance for threat in children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2001

T. DALGLEISH ,
A. R. MORADI ,
M. R. TAGHAVI ,
H. T. NESHAT-DOOST  and
W. YULE
T. DALGLEISH
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge and Institute of Psychiatry, London; and Teacher-Training University, Tehran, Shiraz University, Shiraz and Esfahan University, Esfahan, Iran
A. R. MORADI
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge and Institute of Psychiatry, London; and Teacher-Training University, Tehran, Shiraz University, Shiraz and Esfahan University, Esfahan, Iran
M. R. TAGHAVI
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge and Institute of Psychiatry, London; and Teacher-Training University, Tehran, Shiraz University, Shiraz and Esfahan University, Esfahan, Iran
H. T. NESHAT-DOOST
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge and Institute of Psychiatry, London; and Teacher-Training University, Tehran, Shiraz University, Shiraz and Esfahan University, Esfahan, Iran
W. YULE
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge and Institute of Psychiatry, London; and Teacher-Training University, Tehran, Shiraz University, Shiraz and Esfahan University, Esfahan, Iran
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Abstract

Background. The present study examined biases in visual attention for emotional material in children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and healthy controls.

Methods. The participants carried out an attentional deployment task in which probe detection latency data were used to determine the distribution of visual attention for threat-related and depression-related material.

Results. The results showed that children and adolescents with PTSD, relative to controls, selectively allocated processing resources towards socially threatening stimuli and away from depression-related stimuli. This attentional avoidance of depression-related information in the PTSD participants declined with age.

Conclusions. The results of the study are interpreted as a consolidation and extension of previous research on attentional bias and emotional disorder in younger participants.

Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , April 2001 , pp. 541 - 547
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

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