Attention Bias Modification for Reducing Health Anxiety During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Attention Bias Modification for Reducing Health Anxiety During the Coronavirus Pandemic: An Open Pilot Trial

The outbreak of the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a major stressor leading to increased levels of anxiety, and specifically, an excessive fear of being infected and affected by the disease among major parts of the population. At the same time, the access to mental health services is limited due to the lockdown policy applied in many countries worldwide, warranting the development of home-delivered interventions aimed at reducing stress and anxiety symptoms. Attention Bias modification (ABM) has been found to be an efficacious computerized intervention to reduce anxiety symptoms. In this open pilot trial, participants reporting on elevated levels of health anxiety concerning the COVID-19 epidemic will receive one session of ABM over 5 consecutive days (5 sessions total). Symptoms of health anxiety, state anxiety, generalized anxiety, and depression will be measured at baseline and post-treatment.

A home-delivered ABM comprised of 5 sessions using a variant of the dot-probe task in which the target probe always replaces neutral rather than threat (health-related) stimuli to induce diversion of attention away from threat.

A home-delivered version of ABM will be administered in this open trial. ABM will be comprised of 5 sessions with a variation of the dot-probe task in which the target probe always replaces the neutral stimuli to induce diversion of attention away from threat. This condition was found effective in reducing anxiety symptoms.

The COVID-19 anxiety inventory is a self-report questionnaire screening for concerns and fears regarding COVID-19 contagion. The Inventory consists of 6 items. Scores can range from 6 to 30, with higher scores denoting higher symptom severity.

The Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) is a validated self-report measure assessing health anxiety. Total score can range from 0 to 42, with higher scores denoting higher symptom severity

The State Anxiety Inventory is a validated self-report measure for state anxiety. Total score can range from 20 to 80, with higher scores denoting higher levels of state anxiety.

The PHQ-9 is a 9-item self-report scale for depression symptoms. Scores can range from 0 to 27, with higher scores reflecting more symptoms of depression.

The GAD-7 is a 7-item self-report scale for generalized anxiety symptoms. Scores can range from 0 to 21, with higher scores reflecting more symptoms of generalized anxiety.

Inclusion Criteria: 3 or more symptoms (out of 7) reported in the COVID-19 anxiety inventory with a score of 4 or 5. Fluent Hebrew Having a PC computer at home with internet access Exclusion Criteria: A diagnosis of dyslexia or other reading disability