ABMT with adults who have Intellectual disabilities
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the feasibility and acceptability of attentional bias modification training with adults who have intellectual disabilities.
IRAS ID
339293
Contact name
Andrew Poku
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Hertfordshire and Worcestershire NHS Health and Care Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 6 days
Research summary
Historically, clinicians have been reluctant to treat people with intellectual disabilities, due to a notion that this group were unable to benefit from conventional psychotherapy. However, recent research has questioned this notion, suggesting that difficulties may stem from a lack of widely accepted and standardised ways of delivering psychotherapy to this population. Research suggests that the barriers faced by people with intellectual disabilities relate to their difficulties with comprehending verbal communication, complex tasks as well as understanding and retaining concepts.
Promising new research suggests that, with adaptation, Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT) may be beneficial for improving symptoms of depression and low mood (Hsu et al., 2022). Yet, research on the use of ABMT with individuals with intellectual disabilities is limited, with only one study that has tested this with adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities or a borderline level of general intellectual functioning without intellectual disabilities (Klein et al., 2018), of which reductions in social anxiety were observed. While the study showed great promise, a key limitation was the use of tasks that required reading and writing. Many individuals with intellectual disabilities cannot read and write well, posing a significant obstacle when it comes to employing this intervention method. Consequently, the present study seeks to utilise a visual paradigm to deliver ABMT as a potential treatment for depression and low mood, which may be more accessible for use with adults who have intellectual disabilities.
The study is comprised of two phases:
Phase 1: To examine the acceptability of ABMT when used with people with intellectual disability.
Phase 2: To model ABMT and collect data to further understand the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention.
Data obtained after Phase 2 will then be used to inform a future randomised clinical trial that may provide indications of intervention effectiveness.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0661
Date of REC Opinion
11 Nov 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion