TY - JOUR
T1 - Development and validation of the Attention Bias Questionnaire (ABQ)
AU - Azriel, Omer
AU - Britton, Jennifer C.
AU - Gober, Chelsea D.
AU - Pine, Daniel S.
AU - Bar-Haim, Yair
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - Objectives: Various psychopathologies are associated with threat-related attention biases, which are typically measured using mechanized behavioral tasks. While useful and objective, behavioral measures do not capture the subjective experience of biased attention in daily-living. To complement extant behavioral measures, we developed and validated a self-report measure of threat-related attention bias – the Attention Bias Questionnaire (ABQ). Methods: The ABQ consists of nine items reflecting the subjective experience of attention bias towards threats. To enable personalized relevance in threat-content, the general term “threat” was used, and respondents were instructed to refer to specific things that threaten them personally. In a set of five studies, the ABQ was developed and validated. Internal consistency, discriminant validity, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity were tested. Results: The ABQ emerged as a coherent and stable measure with two sub-scales: Engagement with Threat and Difficulty to Disengage from Threat. ABQ scores were positively correlated with trait anxiety, social anxiety, PTSD, and depression, as well as behaviorally measured attention bias. Conclusion: Assessing the subjective experience of threat-related attention bias can enrich existing knowledge about the cognitive mechanisms underlying psychopathology and complement extant behavioral bias measures in research and clinical evaluation.
AB - Objectives: Various psychopathologies are associated with threat-related attention biases, which are typically measured using mechanized behavioral tasks. While useful and objective, behavioral measures do not capture the subjective experience of biased attention in daily-living. To complement extant behavioral measures, we developed and validated a self-report measure of threat-related attention bias – the Attention Bias Questionnaire (ABQ). Methods: The ABQ consists of nine items reflecting the subjective experience of attention bias towards threats. To enable personalized relevance in threat-content, the general term “threat” was used, and respondents were instructed to refer to specific things that threaten them personally. In a set of five studies, the ABQ was developed and validated. Internal consistency, discriminant validity, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity were tested. Results: The ABQ emerged as a coherent and stable measure with two sub-scales: Engagement with Threat and Difficulty to Disengage from Threat. ABQ scores were positively correlated with trait anxiety, social anxiety, PTSD, and depression, as well as behaviorally measured attention bias. Conclusion: Assessing the subjective experience of threat-related attention bias can enrich existing knowledge about the cognitive mechanisms underlying psychopathology and complement extant behavioral bias measures in research and clinical evaluation.
KW - anxiety
KW - attention bias
KW - depression
KW - questionnaire
KW - social anxiety
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126368302&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/mpr.1905
DO - 10.1002/mpr.1905
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C2 - 35297127
AN - SCOPUS:85126368302
SN - 1049-8931
VL - 31
JO - International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
JF - International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
IS - 2
M1 - e1905
ER -