Treatment Effects of Online Attention Bias Modification Procedures: Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Attention bias modification (ABM) is a method in telepsychology, which uses computer tasks to modify the participant’s attentional bias. Online ABM has several advantages, including treatment homogeneity and ease of implementation. However, a comprehensive analysis of online ABM has not been conducted, and its overall treatment effect is therefore unclear. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of online ABM studies regardless of the methods and diseases involved, and evaluated its overall effectiveness. Of the 144 articles systematically collected, 10 articles were included in the analysis. The analysis showed that although the between-group effect size of online ABM was not statistically significant at g＝−0.010, the within-group effect size was significant (g＝0.489, p＜.0001). Sub-group analysis included diagnosis, ABM method, and disease type; however they were not related to the treatment effect. Overall, ABM did not show a treatment effect compared to the placebo task, but the research for factors that influence the treatment effect needs to be pursued.