A Study On Interpretation Bias Intervention Of Deaf Teenagers With Social Anxiety

Objective Deaf youth groups have a more widespread and serious social anxiety than those healthy groups and other deaf groups, and cognitive bias is an important cognitive characteristics of social anxiety. Social anxiety individuals have more negative or more threatening interpretation and evaluation to fuzzy social situational stimuli. In recent years, researchers have developed methods for correction and intervention of interpretation bias, and helped patients with social anxiety or other anxiety disorders reducing anxiety symptoms, obtaining positive intervention effect. The mental health status of deaf adolescents gained more attention from society. At present, studies for social anxiety of this special group focus on describing and explaining, rarely involves prediction and control. Approaches like the traditional cognitive behavioral therapy and interviews have large operation difficulties, implementation effect is not ideal and prospect of clinical application is weak. The purpose of this study is to know the present status of interpretation bias in deaf teenagers with high social anxiety, and to explore the effect of interpretation bias intervention on the social anxiety symptoms of deaf teenagers.Methods Screened 50 deaf teenagers with high social anxiety. Among them, the intervention group and the control group were 25 people respectively. The intervention group received interventions using computerized interpretation bias modification program for once a week lasting five weeks. The control group accepted simple tasks without characteristics of intervention. The social anxiety level was measured by social anxiety scale for teenagers(SAS-A) and the interpretation bias were evaluated by usinga self-compiled questionnaire for the two groups before and after the intervention. The retest was arranged after two weeks of the end of the last intervention. Eventually, we compared the change degrees of interpretation bias and social anxiety level of deaf teenagers before and after the intervention.Results In positive interpretation bias, a main effect of time was significant, F(1, 48) = 27.67, P <0.001; and a main effect of group was significant, F(1, 48) = 15.53, P <0.001; and the interaction was significant, F(1, 48) = 16.08, P <0.001. Further simple effect analysis, there was no difference between the two groups in pre-test, F(1, 48) = 0.16, P = 0.691, and there was significant difference in post-test, F(1, 48) = 24.43, P <0.001. Scores of the pre-test(61.32±5.08) was higher than that of the post-test(51.24±6.80) in the intervention group, and the difference between before and after intervention was significant, F(1, 48) = 42.97, P <0.001. Scores in pre-test and post-test of control group respectively was(61.88±481) and(60.52±6.48), and there was no difference between two groups, F(1, 48) = 0.78, P = 0.381. In negative interpretation bias, a main effect of time was significant, F(1, 48) = 29.14, P <.001; and a main effect of group was significant, F(1, 48) = 25.45, P <0.001; and the interaction was significant, F(1, 48) = 32.55, P <0.001. Further simple effect analysis, there was no difference between the two groups in pre-test, F(1, 48) = 0.64, P = 0.428, and there was significant difference in post-test, F(1, 48) = 41.70, P <0.001. Scores of the pre-test(52.08±4.42) was lower than that of the post-test(62.20±7.26) in the intervention group, and the difference between before and after intervention was significant, F(1, 48) = 61.64, P <0.001. Scores in pre-test and post-test of control group respectively was(51.08±4.43) and(50.80±5.03), and there was no difference between two groups, F(1, 48) = 0.05, P = 0.829. In social anxiety level, a main effect of time was significant, F(1, 48) = 13.99, P <0.001; and a main effect of group was significant, F(1, 48) = 13.23, P <0.01; andthe interaction was significant, F(1, 48) = 20.34, P <0.001. Further simple effect analysis, there was no difference between the two groups in pre-test, F(1, 48) = 0.99, P = 0.322, and there was significant difference in post-test, F(1, 48) = 27.54, P <0.001. Scores of the pre-test(46.40±5.70) was higher than that of the post-test(39.96±5.78) in the intervention group, and the difference between before and after intervention was significant, F(1, 48) = 34.04, P <0.001. Scores in pre-test and post-test of control group respectively was(47.96±5.32) and(48.56±5.81), and there was no difference between two groups, F(1, 48) = 0.29, P = 0.589.Conclusion A significant negative interpretation bias existed in deaf teenagers with high social anxiety,and the interpretation bias modification training can effectively reduce the negative interpretation bias and social anxiety level of deaf teenagers.