Cognitive bias modification as a strategy to reduce children's fears and concerns about the secondary school transition

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cognitive Bias Modification of Interpretations (CBM-I) has emerged as an anxiety-reducing tool for children and adolescents, targeting maladaptive interpretations of everyday situations. This literature falls short of addressing whether the effects of CBM-I extend to worries about a real-life stressor, such as a school transition. DESIGN: The study comprised a between-groups design comparing the effects of CBM-I to an active control (AC) intervention in children. METHOD: We recruited 38 children within two months of their primary-secondary school transition and investigated the capacity for multi-session, parent-administered CBM-I, compared to an AC condition, to modify cognitive style and reduce anxiety symptoms and school concerns. RESULTS: While benign interpretations increased significantly and negative interpretations tended to decrease following CBM-I, both interventions significantly reduced anxiety symptoms and school concerns. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that anxiety-reducing effects of CBM-I in children extend to a real life stressful event, but that equivalent anxiety reduction may be achieved through exposure to potentially worrying situations and parent-child interaction in the absence of bias modification.