Table 1 Studies of biased attention to threat in anxious youth with studies presenting conflicting results to adult data italicised
Authors | Sample size and age information | Anxiety measure | Nature of anxiety effect reported |
|---|---|---|---|
Visual Probe Task | |||
Waters et al., [23] | Anxious group = 23 (9–12 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat and pleasant pictures |
Healthy group = 23 (9–12 yrs) | |||
Waters et al., [24] | Anxious group = 29 (9–12 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat faces but only those with more severe anxiety (η p 2=0.17) |
Healthy group = 24 (9–12 yrs) | |||
Waters et al., [25] | Anxious group = 19 (9.8 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat pictures (η p 2 = .13) |
Healthy group = 19 (10.1 yrs) | |||
Pine et al., [[21]] | PTSD group = 29 (10.3 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | PTSD group showed greater avoidance of angry faces (cohen’s d = 0.58) |
Healthy group = 17 (9.9 yrs) | |||
Roy et al. [26] | Anxious group = 101 (11.5 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat faces (cohen’s d = 0.53) |
Healthy group = 51 (13.6 yrs) | |||
Vasey et al., [27] | Anxious group = 12 (11.9 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat words but only appearing in lower probed positions (cohen’s d = 0.35) |
Healthy group = 12 (11.8 yrs) | |||
Dalgleish et al. [28] | PTSD group = 24 (12.8 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious group showed greater attention towards social threat and depression related words (cohen’s d = 0.56 and 0.60) |
Healthy group = 24 (12.8 yrs) | |||
Dalgleish et al. [28] | PTSD group = 24, (12.8 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious groups showed greater attention towards threat words (cohen’s d = 0.24 and 0.59) |
GAD group = 24 (13.6 yrs) | |||
Healthy group = 26 (15.2 yrs) | |||
Monk et al., [[22]] | GAD group = 18 (13.5 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious group showed greater avoidance of angry faces (cohen’s d = 0.64 |
Healthy group = 15 (12.3 yrs) | |||
Dalgleish et al., [29] | GAD group = 24 (13.6 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat words (cohen’s d = 0.72) |
Healthy group = 24 (13.2 yrs) | |||
Monk et al.,[[30]] | GAD group = 17 (14.3 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | No group differences in attention towards negative faces |
Healthy group = 12 (13.1 yrs) | |||
Keogh et al., [31] | High Anxious group = 23 (8–10 yrs) | Physical Anxiety | High anxious group showed greater attention towards emotional (threat + positive) words (η p 2 = .099) |
Low Anxious group = 16 (8–10 yrs) | Sensitivity | ||
Heim-Dreger et al., [32] | Whole sample = 112 (9.0 yrs) | Trait Anxiety | Trait anxiety correlated with greater attention towards threat faces |
Stirling et al., [[33]] | Whole sample = 79 (9.67 yrs) | Anxiety Symptoms | Trait anxiety correlated with greater attention away from threat faces |
Vasey et al., [34] | High Anxious group = 20 (11–14 yrs) | Test Anxiety | High anxious group showed greater attention towards threat words |
Low Anxious group = 20 (11–14 yrs) | |||
Helzer et al., [35] | Whole sample = 121 (11.4 yrs) | Anxiety Symptoms | Anxious symptoms correlated with attention towards social threat words but only in those with high fearful temperament |
Lonigan et al., [36] | High NA high EC group = 26 (14.7 yrs) | Negative Affectivity (NA) and Effortful Control (EC) | High NA group showed greater attention towards threat words but only in those with low EC |
High NA low EC group = 25 (14.2 yrs) | |||
Low NA high EC group = 27 (14.8 yrs) | |||
Low NA low EC group = 26 (13.8 yrs) | |||
Telzer et al., [37] | Whole sample = 16 (15.3 yrs) | Trait Anxiety | Trait anxiety predicted greater attention towards angry faces (β = 0.52, R2 = 0.38) |
Emotional Stroop Task | |||
Kindt et al., [[38]] | Anxious group = 40 (11.5 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | No group differences in interference effects from threat words |
Healthy group = 14 (13.6 yrs) | |||
Kindt et al., [[39]] | High Anxious group = 25 (8–9 yrs) | Trait Anxiety | No group differences in interference effects from threat faces |
Low Anxious group = 22 (8–9 yrs) | |||
Kindt et al., [[40]] | High Phobic group = 72 (8–12 yrs) | Spider Phobia | No group differences in interference effects from threat faces |
Low Phobic group = 73 (8–12 yrs) | |||
Martin et al., [41] | Phobic group = 71 (4–9 yrs) | Spider Phobia | High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat pictures |
Healthy group = 72 (4–9 yrs) | |||
Martin et al., [42] | Phobic group = 24 (6–13 yrs) | Spider Phobia | High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat words |
Healthy group = 24 (6–13 yrs) | |||
Kindt et al., [43] | High Phobic group = 29 (8–12 yrs) | Spider Phobia | High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat words |
Low Phobic group = 30 (8–12 yrs) | |||
Heim-Dreger et al., [32] | Whole sample = 82 (8.6 yrs) | State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety | Trait and state anxiety correlated with greater interference from threat faces |
Heim-Dreger et al., [32] | Whole sample = 112 (9.0 yrs) | State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety | Trait and state anxiety correlated with greater interference from threat faces |
Hadwin et al., [[44]] | Whole sample = 74 (9.1 yrs) | Trait Anxiety | No correlation between trait anxiety and interference from threat faces |
Richards et al., [45] | High Anxious group = 24 (11.9 yrs) | Trait Anxiety | High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat faces (η p 2 = .12) |
Low Anxious group = 26 (11.0 yrs) | |||
Richards et al., [46] | High Anxious group = 15 (16.9 yrs) | Anxiety Symptoms | High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat words |
Low Anxious group = 15 (16.0 yrs) | |||
Visual Search Task | |||
Hadwin et al., [47] | Whole sample = 53 (7–10 yrs) | Trait Anxiety | Trait anxiety correlated with faster search times for threat cartoons when the threat-target was absent |
Hadwin et al., [47] | Whole sample = 38 (6–10 yrs) | Trait Anxiety | Trait anxiety correlated with faster search times for threat face when the threat-target was absent |
Emotional Go/No-Go Task | |||
Waters et al., [48] | Anxious group = 20 (9.9 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious girls were slower in responding to ‘neutral face’ Go trials when embedded in ‘angry face’ No-Go trials |
Healthy group = 20 (10.0 yrs) | |||
Ladouceur et al., [49] | Anxious group = 23 (12.5 yrs) | Clinical diagnosis | Anxious group were slower in responding to ‘neutral face’ Go trials when embedded in ‘angry face’ No-Go trials |
|  | Healthy group = 26 (12.5 yrs) |  |  |