The Effect of Attention Control Training on Attention Bias and Anxiety Sensitivity in Students with Social Anxiety Disorder

Background and Social anxiety disorder is one of the most important causes of maladjustment in students. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of attention control training on attention bias and anxiety sensitivity in students with social anxiety disorder.
The research design was semi-experimental with pretest– post-test and control group. The statistical population included all 14-year-old male students with social anxiety disorder in Shahrood city in the academic year of 2016-2017. Using multi-stage cluster sampling method, 30 students were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (each group 15 students). Both groups completed the bias attention scale (Woody, Chambls & Glass, 1997), social anxiety questionnaire (Connor, 2000), and anxiety sensitivity test (Taylor & Cox, 1998) before the training. Experimental group in 8 one-hour sessions received attention control training, but the control group did not receive any training. One-way covariance analysis was used to analyze the data.
Data analysis using one-way covariance analysis showed that the scores of the experimental group in comparison with the control group scores decreased significantly in the attention bias and anxiety sensitivity (P Attention control training can lead to a decrease in attention bias and anxiety sensitivity among students with social anxiety disorder due to treatment of the cognitive-attention syndrome disorder and the enhancement of metacognition.