Effects of Anxiety and Depression on Attentional Bias: The Mediating Role of Attentional Control

Abstract

Abstract: Self-report measures of state anxiety (STAI_S), trait anxiety (STAI_T), depression, attentional control, attention to positive information (API), and attention to negative information (ANI) were conducted among 481 Chinese undergraduate students to investigate the impacts of anxiety and depression on attentional bias and the mediating role of attention control. It was found that API was positively correlated with attention control, and negatively correlated with state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression. ANI was negatively correlated with attention control, and positively related to state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression. API was significantly predicted by trait anxiety, attention focusing, and attention shifting, while ANI was significantly predicted by state anxiety, depression, and attention focusing. Furthermore, attention shifting and attention focusing mediated the relationships between state anxiety, trait anxiety, depression with API and ANI. The results demonstrated that attentional control may serve as a protective factor for alleviating or eliminating the negative impacts of anxiety and depression on attentional biases.

Key words: state anxiety, trait anxiety, depression, attentional control, attention to positive and negative information

摘要： 采用状态-特质焦虑量表、流调抑郁量表、注意控制量表和正负性信息注意量表，对481名在校大学生进行调查研究，考察了焦虑、抑郁对注意偏向的影响，并探讨了注意控制在其中的中介作用。研究发现：（1）正性注意偏向与注意控制呈正相关，与状态焦虑、特质焦虑和流调抑郁呈负相关；负性注意偏向与注意控制呈负相关，与状态焦虑、特质焦虑和流调抑郁呈正相关。（2）特质焦虑、注意集中、注意转移可显著预测正性注意偏向，状态焦虑、流调抑郁和注意集中则显著预测负性注意偏向。（3）注意转移和注意集中中介了状态焦虑、特质焦虑、流调抑郁和正、负性注意偏向间的关系。研究提示注意控制是一个重要的保护性因素，可缓解或消除焦虑和抑郁对注意偏向的负面影响。

关键词: 状态焦虑, 特质焦虑, 抑郁, 注意控制, 正负性信息注意偏向

CLC Number:

B849

YU Yongju. Effects of Anxiety and Depression on Attentional Bias: The Mediating Role of Attentional Control[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2020, 18(1): 121-127.

于永菊. 焦虑和抑郁对正负性注意偏向的影响：注意控制的中介作用[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2020, 18(1): 121-127.

References

戴琴, 冯正直, 许爽, 谢钧润, 刘可愚, 于永菊, … 韩在玲. (2015). 正性负性信息注意量表中文版测试大学生样本的效度和信度. 中国心理卫生杂志, 29(5), 395-400, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-6729.2015.05.017
郭艳梅. (2010). 抑郁患者对情绪面孔注意偏向的抑制特点研究(硕士学位论文). 河北大学, 保定.
乐洪波, 马树华, 程晓玲, 王兆新, 胡治国, 张慧红, … 廖玲敏. (2009). 重度抑郁症对负性情绪面孔的注意偏向. 中国心理卫生杂志, 23(11), 795-799, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-6729.2009.11.009
李甜甜, 曹建琴, 李英丽, 李辞, 杨军, 苏红. (2017). 注意控制在医学新生负性自动思维与社交焦虑间的中介作用. 中华行为医学与脑科学, 26(6), 568-572
汪向东, 王希林, 马弘. (1999). 心理卫生评定量表手册(增订版) (pp. 178-180, 212-215). 北京: 中国心理卫生杂志社.
毋嫘, 林冰心, 蒋娜, 赵亚萍. (2016). 高焦虑个体对威胁性刺激的注意偏向特点. 心理与行为研究, 14(6), 760-764, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-0628.2016.06.007
许媛美, 盛利, 张英辉, 何小琼, 赵正前, 王文娟, 翟长平. (2016). 抑郁症患者对负性情绪面孔的注意偏向. 中国健康心理学杂志, 24(4), 501-503, 504
于永菊. (2017). 特质焦虑个体的注意偏向和注意控制特点及其认知神经机制研究 (博士学位论文). 第三军医大学, 重庆.
周浩, 龙立荣. (2004). 共同方法偏差的统计检验与控制方法. 心理科学进展, 12(6), 942-950
Abasi, I., Mohammadkhani, P., Pourshahbaz, A., & Dolatshahi, B. (2017). The psychometric properties of attentional control scale and its relationship with symptoms of anxiety and depression: A study on Iranian population. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 12(2), 109-117.
Bar-Haim, Y., Lamy, D., Pergamin, L., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2007). Threat-related attentional bias in anxious and nonanxious individuals: A meta-analytic study. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 1-24, doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.1.
Booth, R. W. (2014). Uncontrolled avoidance of threat: Vigilance-avoidance, executive control, inhibition and shifting. Cognition and Emotion, 28(8), 1465-1473, doi: 10.1080/02699931.2014.882294.
Cisler, J. M., & Koster, E. H. W. (2010). Mechanisms of attentional biases towards threat in anxiety disorders: An integrative review. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(2), 203-216, doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2009.11.003.
Derakshan, N., Smyth, S., & Eysenck, M. W. (2009). Effects of state anxiety on performance using a task-switching paradigm: An investigation of attentional control theory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16(6), 1112-1117.
Derryberry, D., & Reed, M. A. (2002). Anxiety-related attentional biases and their regulation by attentional control. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 111(2), 225-236, doi: 10.1037/0021-843X.111.2.225.
Edwards, M. S. (2014). Attentional biases in processing emotional facial expressions: Effects of state anxiety, trait anxiety and awareness. International Journal of Psychological Studies, 6(4), 41-55.
Eizenman, M., Yu, L. H., Grupp, L., Eizenman, E., Ellenbogen, M., Gemar, M., & Levitan, R. D. (2003). A naturalistic visual scanning approach to assess selective attention in major depressive disorder. Psychiatry Research, 118(2), 117-128, doi: 10.1016/S0165-1781(03)00068-4.
Eysenck, M. W., Derakshan, N., Santos, R., & Calvo, M. G. (2007). Anxiety and cognitive performance: Attentional control theory. Emotion, 7(2), 336-353, doi: 10.1037/1528-3542.7.2.336.
Eysenck, M. W., & Derakshan, N. (2011). New perspectives in attentional control theory. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(7), 955-960, doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2010.08.019.
Gorlin, E. I., & Teachman, B. A. (2015). Inhibitory control as a moderator of threat-related interference biases in social anxiety. Cognition and Emotion, 29(4), 723-735, doi: 10.1080/02699931.2014.931275.
Klein, A. M., de Voogd, L., Wiers, R. W., & Salemink, E. (2018). Biases in attention and interpretation in adolescents with varying levels of anxiety and depression. Cognition and Emotion, 32(7), 1478-1486, doi: 10.1080/02699931.2017.1304359.
Li, M., Lu, S. F., Wang, G., Feng, L., Fu, B. B., & Zhong, N. (2016). Alleviated negative rather than positive attentional bias in patients with depression in remission: An eye-tracking study. Journal of International Medical Research, 44(5), 1072-1086, doi: 10.1177/0300060516662134.
Lichtenstein-Vidne, L., Okon-Singer, H., Cohen, N., Todder, D., Aue, T., Nemets, B., & Henik, A. (2017). Attentional bias in clinical depression and anxiety: The impact of emotional and non-emotional distracting information. Biological Psychology, 122, 4-12, doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.07.012.
Mogg, K., & Bradley, B. P. (2005). Attentional bias in generalized anxiety disorder versus depressive disorder. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 29(1), 29-45, doi: 10.1007/s10608-005-1646-y.
Muris, P. (2010). Anxiety-related reasoning biases in Children and Adolescents. In A. P. Hadwin, & J. Field (Eds.), Information processing biases and anxiety: A developmental perspective (pp. 22-45). Hoboken: Wiley.
Noguchi, K., Gohm, C. L., & Dalsky, D. J. (2006). Cognitive tendencies of focusing on positive and negative information. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(6), 891-910, doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2005.09.008.
Osinsky, R., Gebhardt, H., Alexander, N., & Hennig, J. (2012). Trait anxiety and the dynamics of attentional control. Biological Psychology, 89(1), 252-259, doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2011.10.016.
Platt, B., Waters, A. M., Schulte-Koerne, G., Engelmann, L., & Salemink, E. (2017). A review of cognitive biases in youth depression: Attention, interpretation and memory. Cognition and Emotion, 31(3), 462-483, doi: 10.1080/02699931.2015.1127215.
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385-401, doi: 10.1177/014662167700100306.
Sarapas, C., Weinberg, A., Langenecker, S. A., & Shankman, S. A. (2017). Relationships among attention networks and physiological responding to threat. Brain and Cognition, 111, 63-72, doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2016.09.012.
Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., & Lushene, R. E. (1983). Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory (Form Y). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Sylvester, C. M., Hudziak, J. J., Gaffrey, M. S., Barch, D. M., & Luby, J. L. (2016). Stimulus-driven attention, threat bias, and sad bias in Youth with a history of an anxiety disorder or depression. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 44(2), 219-231, doi: 10.1007/s10802-015-9988-8.
Taylor, C. T., Bomyea, J., & Amir, N. (2011). Malleability of attentional bias for positive emotional information and anxiety vulnerability. Emotion, 11(1), 127-138, doi: 10.1037/a0021301.
Trapp, W., Kalzendorf, C., Baum, C., Hajak, G., & Lautenbacher, S. (2018). Attentional biases in patients suffering from unipolar depression: Results of a dot probe task investigation. Psychiatry Research, 261, 325-331, doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.01.005.
Vasey, M. W., Harbaugh, C. N., Mikolich, M., Firestone, A., & Bijttebier, P. (2013). Positive affectivity and attentional control moderate the link between negative affectivity and depressed mood. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(7), 802-807, doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2012.12.012.
Waszczuk, M. A., Brown, H. M., Eley, T. C., & Lester, K. J. (2015). Attentional control theory in childhood: Enhanced attentional capture by non-emotional and emotional distractors in anxiety and depression. PLoS One, 10(11), e0141535, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141535.

[1]	ZHANG Pengcheng, LI Xi, SANG Yujie, CHEN Ning. The Effects of Neurotic Personality on Depression in Primary and Secondary School Students: The Multilayered Moderating Role of Class Environment [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(5): 637-643.
[2]	LUO Rui, ZHAO Yunyan, HE Ran, WANG Yun, CHEN Fumei. The Characteristics of Parental Favoritism in Two-Child Families and Its Relationship with Adolescent Depression [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(5): 657-664.
[3]	YU Yibing, YU Jiawei, LI Yanru, DU Yizhan. Cross-Lagged Analysis of Perceived Family Support, Friend Support and Depressive Symptoms Among Children Left-Behind in Rural Areas [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(4): 472-478.
[4]	DING Qian, LUO Xingyu. Influence of Perceived Discrimination on Left-Behind Adolescents’ Aggression: The Multiple Mediating Effect Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(3): 346-352.
[5]	YUE Pengfei, HU Wenli, ZHANG Jiaxin, SHI Mengmeng. Harsh Parenting and Learning Engagement Among Middle School Students: The Role of State Anxiety and Gender [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(2): 226-232.
[6]	ZHANG Xinyu, SUN Qi, ZHOU Guangdong, Li Bing. A Latent Profile Analysis to Symptoms of Eating Disorder in College Students and Its Relation to Depression [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(1): 73-79.
[7]	ZHU Yingying, MA Xiaoqing, TANG Zhuoyi, YANG Minqi. Impact of Chronotype on Symptoms of Depression in College Students: A Moderate Mediation Model [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(5): 657-664,694.
[8]	YAN Zhiqiang, LI Shan. The Association of Empathy on Depression: The Moderating Effect of Peer-Relationship [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(3): 424-430.
[9]	YAO Wenyu, ZHANG Wen, LIU Ying, ZHANG Simin, DING Xuechen, XU Gangmin. Developmental Trajectories of Depression and Academic Achievement in Children: Based on Parallel Latent Growth Modeling [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(2): 223-229.
[10]	PENG Liyi, HU Yiqiu, ZENG Zihao, ZHAN Lin. The Effect of Childhood Maltreatment on College Students’ Depression: The Role of Neurotic Personality and MAOA Gene rs3027407 Polymorphism [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(2): 230-236.
[11]	LI Tiantian, GU Jiyou, XU Hewen. The Relationship Between Paternal Depression and Children’s Problem Behavior: The Chain Mediating Roles of Paternal Parenting Self-Efficacy and Paternal Parenting Style [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(1): 66-73.
[12]	JI Lingkai, LIU Huashan, LI Chenlu. A Kind of Boiling Frog Effect: The Mechanism of Major Identity on Depression in University Students [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2020, 18(6): 833-838.
[13]	LIU Huijun, BU Tong. The Impact of Family Resilience on Individual Depression: A Partial Mediating Effect of Individual Resilience [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2020, 18(1): 72-77.
[14]	JIA Liping, LU Guohua, SONG Yuping, LI Fuhong. The Mechanism of Negative Emotional Priming on Response Inhibition for Trait Anxiety Individuals [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2019, 17(5): 604-612.
[15]	WU Lei, ZHAO Boyao, ZHAN Zhao, FAN Bijuan, ZHAO Yaping. The Effect of Mindful Parenting from Parents on Adolescent Depression and its Mechanism [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2019, 17(4): 561-568.