The self regulatory effect of attentional control in modulating the relationship between attentional biases toward threat and anxiety symptoms in children

Abstract

The present study examined the associations between attentional biases to threat, attentional control and anxiety in a sample of children aged 9 to 14. It was hypothesised that the association between attentional biases toward threat and anxiety might be stronger when the ability to control attention is reduced. The study employed pictures of neutral, happy and angry facial expressions as they have greater ecological value compared to words. Children completed a dot-probe task measuring attentional biases toward such stimuli. They also completed the Spence Child Anxiety Scale for anxiety symptoms and, for attentional control, the child version of the Attention Control Scale measuring the ability to focus and shift attention. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis showed that attentional control significantly explained anxiety. Furthermore, the interaction between attentional control and attentional biases significantly explained anxiety level. These results indicate that attentional control moderates the relation between attentional biases toward threatening facial expressions and anxiety in children. Additionally, a discussion about a possible protective role of attentional control is provided.

Keywords:

• Attentional biases
• Threat
• Attentional control
• Anxiety
• Self-regulation
• Children

Acknowledgements

The first two authors want to gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided from the programme co-financed by the Sectoral Operational Programme for Human Resources Development, Contract POSDRU 6/1.5/S/3—“Doctoral studies, a major factor in the development of socio-economic and humanistic studies”.

The authors are most grateful to Dr Luis J. Fuentes, Dr Carmen González Salinas and Dr Sofia Diamantopoulou for valuable suggestions on previous versions of this manuscript.

Notes

¹We are grateful to one of the reviewers for suggesting this analysis.

²We are grateful to reviewers for suggesting this additional analysis.