This randomized controlled trial will test a computerized cognitive bias modification program (CBM) to treat attention and interpretive biases in patients with primary aggression.
The objective of the proposed study is to test a computerized cognitive bias modification program (CBM) to treat attention and interpretive biases in patients with Intermittent Explosive Disorder, a disorder characterized by habitual engagement in aggressive behavior. Efficacy of the CBM program will be assessed via a small randomized controlled trial comparing CBM to a computerized control condition. This training program would consist of a four-week regimen of twice-weekly 30-minute sessions (8 sessions total) during which individuals would learn to: (a) focus attention away from threatening words toward neutral words \[attention bias\], and (b) to disambiguate ambiguous interpersonal scenarios using more benign, rather than threatening, interpretations \[interpretive bias\]. Participants will be asked to complete behavioral measures of attention bias and interpretive bias, as well as self-report measures of anger / aggression, interpretive bias, emotion regulation and life satisfaction at baseline (pre-training), post-training, and 1-month follow-up.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
45
A four-week computerized attentional and interpretive bias modification protocol in which participants complete both ATT and ITT tasks twice per week, totaling to eight experimental sessions (see experimental arm for more detail.)
A four-week computerized attentional and interpretive stimuli protocol in which participants complete both ATT-C and ITT-C tasks twice per week, totaling to eight control sessions (see placebo control arm for more detail.)
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Change in a Aggression from pretreatment to end of treatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up
Overt Aggression Scale-Modified (higher score means more aggression)
Time frame: preatment, post-treatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up. Total of 2 months
Change in a Anger from pretreatment to end of treatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up
State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2:state anger scale modified(higher score means more anger)
Time frame: pretreatment, posttreatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up. Total of 2 months
Change in Social Information Processing from pretreatment to end of treatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up
Social Information Processing - Attribution and Emotional Response Questionnaire
Time frame: pretreatment, posttreatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up. Total of 2 months
Change in Emotion Regulation from pretreatment to end of treatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up
Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (higher score means greater emotion dysregulation)
Time frame: pretreatment, posttreatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up. Total of 2 months
Change in IED diagnosis from pretreatment to end of treatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up
Intermittent Explosive Disorder-Module (presence vs absence of current disorder)
Time frame: pretreatment, posttreatment (4 weeks later) and 1-month follow-up. Total of 2 months
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