Attentional biases in patients with alcohol dependence: influence of coexisting psychopathology

Abstract

Objective: the effects of coexisting psychopathology on disorder-specific attentional biases in patients with alcohol dependence are uncertain. We undertook a cross-sectional study assessing attentional biases to alcohol-, depression-, and anxiety- related stimuli using the visual probe task in patients with alcohol dependence, attending a community alcohol service.

Methods: using the visual probe task, we presented disorder-specific words (relating to alcohol, anxiety, and depression) for 500 ms and measured reaction times.

Results: participants demonstrated a significant attentional bias towards alcohol-related cues (mean 8.5, p = 0.03) but significant avoidance of depression-related cues (mean ?8.4, p = 0.01). The subgroup of participants who were recently abstinent (n = 70) showed greatest avoidance of depression-related cues (t(69) = 2.68, p < 0.01) but no significant vigilance towards alcohol or anxiety cues, whereas those still drinking (n = 43) showed attentional biases towards alcohol-related (t(42) = 2.70, p = 0.01) and social anxiety-related cues (t(42) = 2.84, p < 0.01). In the whole sample, the magnitude of attentional bias to alcohol was not correlated with length of drinking history, number of comorbid conditions, or severity of anxiety/depression.

Conclusions: in a clinical sample of alcohol-dependent patients, further investigation is required to explore whether these attentional biases reflect current drinking status or factors indicating prognosis

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Identifiers

ORCID for Julia Sinclair: orcid.org/0000-0002-1905-2025

ORCID for Matthew Garner: orcid.org/0000-0001-9481-2226

ORCID for David Baldwin: orcid.org/0000-0003-3343-0907

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