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Attention and Memory Biases in Social Anxiety Disorder: The Role of Comorbid Depression

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Abstract

Cognitive biases play an important role in the onset and maintenance of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Few studies, however, have examined the role of comorbid Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in the processing of emotional material. In addition, little is known about the relation among different cognitive biases. In the current study, 73 participants (54.79% female) completed an emotion face dot-probe task followed by a recognition memory test. Compared to participants with SAD, participants with comorbid SAD and MDD oriented away from supraliminally presented angry faces. Subsequently, SAD participants with and without comorbidity recognized fewer angry faces than non-disordered controls. Furthermore, attention biases for subliminally presented stimuli predicted recognition accuracy only for comorbid participants. These results suggest that the presence of comorbid MDD affects attentional orienting in SAD participants. In addition, it highlights the interconnectedness of attention and memory biases for comorbid participants.

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Notes

  1. Development of the MacBrain Face Stimulus Set was overseen by Nim Tottenham and supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Early Experience and Brain Development. Please contact Nim Tottenham at tott0006@tc.umn.edu for more information concerning the stimulus set.

  2. LSAS data are missing for five participants (one CMD and four CTL).

  3. Using log-transformed bias scores and covarying age, the Group by Emotion by Duration interaction was marginally significant at the α = .07 level, F(6, 207) = 2.00, P = .066, η2 = 0.06.

  4. Correlations among the log-transformed attention bias score for angry faces presented subliminally and memory for happy, sad, angry, and disgusted faces remains across all participants, r(71) = −.29, −.24, −.24, and −.26, respectively, all P < .05. Within the comorbid group, the correlations between the log-transformed attention bias score for angry faces presented subliminally and memory for happy, sad, angry, and disgusted faces also remains, r(13) = −.62, −.52, −.57, and −.62, respectively, all P < .05. Log-transformed attention bias score for subliminally presented sad faces was also correlated with memory for sad faces, r(13) = .64, P < .05.

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Acknowledgment

This research was supported by a National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH086246 to Joelle LeMoult.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, 5665 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA

    Joelle LeMoult & Jutta Joormann

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  1. Joelle LeMoult
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  2. Jutta Joormann
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Correspondence to Joelle LeMoult.

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LeMoult, J., Joormann, J. Attention and Memory Biases in Social Anxiety Disorder: The Role of Comorbid Depression. Cogn Ther Res 36, 47–57 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-010-9322-2

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