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Efficacy of Interpretation Bias Modification in Depressed Adolescents and Young Adults

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Abstract

This study evaluated the efficacy of a four-session Cognitive Bias Modification-Interpretation program for 45 depressed adolescents and young adults (14–21 years old; 12 males, 33 females; Beck Depressive Inventory, Second Edition ≥14) randomized to an active intervention condition (repeated exposure to positive outcomes of depression-relevant ambiguous scenarios; n = 23) or a control condition (n = 22). Both conditions experienced reductions on a Test of Interpretation Bias at post-treatment, with no significant between-group differences. When limited to those with negative bias at baseline, the intervention group showed greater improvement in interpretation bias at mid- and post-treatment. In addition, the intervention group overall had greater improvements in self-reported negative cognitions than the control group at post-intervention and two-week follow-up. However, there were no differences between groups in depression or anxiety symptom change. Potential factors contributing to mixed findings are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Grant (F32 MH088165) from the National Institute of Mental Health awarded to Dr. Micco. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier NCT01147913. The authors thank Janet Caruso, Allison Clarke, Charlotte Henesy, Maura Millette, Allison Megna, and Nicholas Morrison for their help with study coordination and subject recruitment. The authors are also grateful to Dr. Bethany Teachman for sharing the code from her interpretation bias modification program.

Conflict of interest

Drs. Micco, Hirshfeld-Becker, and Henin have no conflicts of interest pertaining to the research presented in this manuscript. However, Drs. Micco, Hirshfeld-Becker, and Henin have received honoraria from Reed Medical Education (a logistics collaborator for the MGH Psychiatry Academy). The education programs conducted by the MGH Psychiatry Academy were supported, in part, through independent medical education grants from pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Forest Laboratories Inc., Janssen, Lilly, McNeil Pediatrics, Pfizer, Pharmacia, the Prechter Foundation, Sanofi aventis, Shire, the Stanley Foundation, UCB Pharma, Inc., and Wyeth. In addition, Dr. Henin has received honoraria from Shire, Abbott Laboratories, and AACAP, and she receives royalties from Oxford University Press. She has been a consultant for Pfizer, Prophase, and Concordant Rater Systems.

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  1. Child Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 151 Merrimac Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Jamie A. Micco, Aude Henin & Dina R. Hirshfeld-Becker

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  1. Jamie A. Micco
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Correspondence to Jamie A. Micco.

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Micco, J.A., Henin, A. & Hirshfeld-Becker, D.R. Efficacy of Interpretation Bias Modification in Depressed Adolescents and Young Adults. Cogn Ther Res 38, 89–102 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-013-9578-4

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