This thesis describes a study designed to investigate the mechanisms of Attention Training Treatment (ATT; Wells, 1990), a cognitive therapy tool designed to reverse the "cognitive-attentional syndrome" responsible for emotional disturbance in the model of Wells and Matthews (1994). Individuals reporting high levels of worry were randomly allocated to one of three treatment conditions: ATT, guided relaxation training (GRT) or no intervention (NI). Participants completed measures of worry and self-focus and three measures of executive attention before and after a two-week period during which the procedures were practised. Skin conductance and heart rate were also measured during the training procedures in each session. Significant decreases in trait worry and self› focus over time were found for the ATT and GRT groups but not the NI group, although there were no significant group by session interactions on these measures due to the small sample size. No evidence was found for a specific improvement in executive attention for the ATT group, contrary to expectation. Both ATT and GRT were associated with significant decreases in skin conductance in session one, although only ATT produced a significant decrease in session two. A significant reduction in heart rate was found for AT T in session two for those participants who reported the expected decrease in self-focus during the procedure. The findings offered some support for the clinical efficacy of AT T and suggested that a reduction in arousal may be an important component of this treatment. Replication of these findings using a larger sample is warranted.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:685408 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Brown, Richard |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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