Attention Bias in Adult Survivors of Childhood Maltreatment with and without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Submitted on Monday, 25 January 2010
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Abstract Childhood maltreatment increases risk for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Maladaptive patterns of attention to emotionally
salient stimuli warrant examination as possible mediators of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and PTSD. It
remains unclear whether persistent attentional biases are differentially apparent in adults who were maltreated as children
and either did or did not develop later PTSD symptomatology. The present study examined associations among attention bias,
childhood maltreatment, and PTSD in adults. We tested the hypothesis that attentional bias for emotional cues (angry faces,
happy faces), measured using the Dot Probe Task, would significantly mediate associations between childhood maltreatment and
adult PTSD symptoms in a sample of 161 adults with and without childhood maltreatment histories and/or current PTSD symptoms.
We found that attention bias toward happy faces partially mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and PTSD
avoidance and numbing symptoms.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Article
- DOI 10.1007/s10608-010-9294-2
- Authors
- Negar Fani, Georgia State University Department of Psychology 140 Decatur Street, Suite 774 Atlanta GA 30303-3083 USA
- Bekh Bradley-Davino, Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Atlanta GA USA
- Kerry J. Ressler, Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Atlanta GA USA
- Erin B. McClure-Tone, Georgia State University Department of Psychology 140 Decatur Street, Suite 774 Atlanta GA 30303-3083 USA
- Journal Cognitive Therapy and Research
- Online ISSN 1573-2819
- Print ISSN 0147-5916
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