Attention control: Relationships between self-report and behavioural measures, and symptoms of anxiety and depression

Individual differences in attention control are proposed to contribute to anxiety and depression. However, self-reported attention control, assessed on the Attentional Control Scale (ACS), appears to be a heterogeneous construct with separate components of focusing (e.g., concentrating, resisting di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cognition and emotion 2013-04, Vol.27 (3), p.430-440
Main Authors: Reinholdt-Dunne, Marie Louise, Mogg, Karin, Bradley, Brendan P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Anxiety
Anxiety - psychology
Anxiety disorders. Neuroses
Anxiety-Depression
Attention
Attention Network Task
Attentional control
Biological and medical sciences
Depression
Depression - psychology
Distraction
Executive Function
Female
Flexibility
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous
Mood disorders
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychomotor Performance
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Resistance
Self Report
Selfreport
Symptoms
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Summary:Individual differences in attention control are proposed to contribute to anxiety and depression. However, self-reported attention control, assessed on the Attentional Control Scale (ACS), appears to be a heterogeneous construct with separate components of focusing (e.g., concentrating, resisting distraction) and shifting (e.g., flexible switching of attention between tasks). Moreover, these constructs are proposed to relate differently to anxiety and depression. Two studies are reported which investigated relationships between ACS focusing and shifting and (i) an objective behavioural measure of attention control from the Attention Network Task (ANT); and (ii) anxiety and depression symptoms in two separate non-clinical samples (Ns = 165 and 193). Results of Study 1 indicated that only ACS focusing was significantly associated with ANT attention control; with both measures reflecting resistance to distraction. In both studies, self-reported ability to focus attention (ACS focusing) was associated with lower anxiety; and greater attentional flexibility (ACS shifting) was associated with fewer depression symptoms.
ISSN:0269-9931
1464-0600
DOI:10.1080/02699931.2012.715081