Attention to Threats and Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Wald, Ilan; Degnan, Kathryn A.; Gorodetsky, Elena; Charney, Dennis S.; Fruchter, Eyal; Goldman, David; Lubin, Gad; Pine, Daniel S.; Bar‐Haim, Yair

doi:10.1001/2013.jamapsychiatry.188

Cited by 100 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…(Sipos et al, 2013;Wald, Shechner, et al, 2011;Wald et al, 2013). Associations of these samples may reflect our association found when attentional control was high.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Is trait resilience characterized by specific patterns of attentional bias to emotional stimuli and attentional control?

Schäfer

Wittchen

Höfler

et al. 2015

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

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“…(Sipos et al, 2013;Wald, Shechner, et al, 2011;Wald et al, 2013). Associations of these samples may reflect our association found when attentional control was high.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Is trait resilience characterized by specific patterns of attentional bias to emotional stimuli and attentional control?

Schäfer

Wittchen

Höfler

et al. 2015

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

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“…First, some previous research supporting attentional control theory has demonstrated lowered anxiety as a result of either training towards or training away from threat (Klumpp & Amir, 2010), although research in this area has been mixed (e.g., Heeren et al, 2012). Given that some research suggests that individuals who develop PTSD may possess both an attentional bias away from threat (Beevers, Lee, Wells, Ellis, & Telch, 2011; Sipos, Bar-Haim, Abend, Adler, & Bliese, 2014; Wald et al, 2013) as well as deficits in attentional control (Aupperle et al, 2012), it may be the case that that training direction (i.e., towards or away from threat) is of less importance than the fact that the training contains a contingency between emotional stimuli and required response in which the individual learns to exert top-down attentional control over presented stimuli. Second, it may be the case that individuals who initially present with a bias away from threat possess a cognitive strength that is more easily maximized through attention training away from threat, relative to individuals who have a pre-existing difficulty attending away from threat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effectiveness of an attention bias modification program as an adjunctive treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Kuckertz

Amir

Boffa

et al. 2014

Behaviour Research and Therapy

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Attention bias modification (ABM) may be an effective treatment for anxiety disorders (Beard, Sawyer, & Hofmann, 2012). As individuals with PTSD possess an attentional bias towards threat-relevant information ABM may prove effective in reducing PTSD symptoms. We examined the efficacy of ABM as an adjunct treatment for PTSD in a real-world setting. We administered ABM in conjunction with prolonged exposure or cognitive-processing therapy and medication in a community inpatient treatment facility for military personnel diagnosed with PTSD. Participants were randomized to either ABM or an attention control condition (ACC). While all participants experienced reductions in PTSD symptoms, participants in the ABM group experienced significantly fewer PTSD and depressive symptoms at post-treatment when compared to the ACC group. Moreover, change in plasticity of attentional bias mediated this change in symptoms and initial attentional bias moderated the effects of the treatment. These results suggest that ABM may be an effective adjunct treatment for PTSD.

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“…Indeed, prior studies have often focused on populations with exposure to discrete traumatic events (e.g., hurricane exposure) (Kilpatrick et al, 2007) rather than exposure to ongoing threat or stress. However, at least one study with Israeli soldiers suggests that among soldiers who developed vigilance to combat threat cues, those with S alleles were less likely to develop PTSD relative to those with L alleles (Wald et al, 2013). Thus, in environments characterized by more chronic stress or threat, the S alleles may have a protective effect relative to the L alleles, perhaps by increasing the ability to attend and respond to risk cues adaptively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between the SS variant of 5-HTTLPR and PTSD among adults with histories of childhood emotional abuse: Results from two African American independent samples

Walsh

Uddin

Soliven

et al. 2014

Journal of Affective Disorders

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Background Prior studies have found that the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) interacts with stressful life events to increase general risk for PTSD, but this association has not extended to African American samples. Further, little is known about the effects of this interaction on specific PTSD symptom clusters, despite indications that clusters may have different biological substrates. The current study examined the interaction between exposure to childhood emotional abuse and 5-HTTLPR genotype on risk for PTSD symptom severity and severity of specific PTSD symptom clusters in two African American samples. Methods Participants were 136 African American household residents from Detroit, MI and 546 African American patients recruited from waiting rooms in primary care clinics in Atlanta, GA. Participants reported emotional abuse exposure and PTSD symptom severity, and provided DNA for triallelic 5-HTTLPR genotyping. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to examine main effects and interactions. Results In both African American samples, 5-HTTLPR genotype modified the effect of emotional abuse on PTSD symptom severity. Participants with the low-expression SS genotype who were exposed to emotional abuse had significantly lower reexperiencing and arousal symptom severity scores. Limitations The DNHS genetic sample size was small, and abuse data were assessed retrospectively. Conclusions The SS variant of 5-HTTLPR appears to buffer against developing the reexperiencing and arousal symptoms of PTSD in two independent African American samples exposed to childhood emotional abuse. Findings also highlight the importance of considering emotional abuse experiences in patients with suspected PTSD.

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Attention to Threats and Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Cited by 100 publications

References 43 publications

Is trait resilience characterized by specific patterns of attentional bias to emotional stimuli and attentional control?

Is trait resilience characterized by specific patterns of attentional bias to emotional stimuli and attentional control?

The effectiveness of an attention bias modification program as an adjunctive treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Associations between the SS variant of 5-HTTLPR and PTSD among adults with histories of childhood emotional abuse: Results from two African American independent samples

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