Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Attention Biases In Female Survivors Of Chronic Interpersonal Violence: Relationship To Trauma-Related Symptoms And Physiology, Jonathan Depierro, Wendy D'Andrea, Nnamdi Pole

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Exposure to chronic interpersonal violence (IPV) has been associated with psychiatric impairment; however, few studies have investigated attention processes and psychophysiology in this population. Objective: We investigated self-report and physiological correlates of attention biases in 27 IPV-exposed women. Method: Participants completed self-report measures of trauma history, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and dissociation; were monitored physiologically during baseline; and responded to an emotional dot probe task. Results: Participants showed bias away from positive and anxiety words, and toward IPV words. Lower baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and higher skin conductance levels were associated with bias away from anxiety cues. …