{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.027329749103942653, 'fraction_numerical': 0.017025089605734768, 'mean_word_length': 5.606508875739645, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 1, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 1, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Effectiveness of Attention Control Training on Attentional Bias Towards Death, Death Anxiety, and Sensitivity to Mortality Salience

Background and Aim: Attention Control Training is a new cognitive intervention that improves emotion regulation, by reducing attentional bias towards negative information. Given the significant association between death anxiety and emotion dysregulation and death-related attentional bias, the aim of this study was to assess attention control training as an intervention for reducing death anxiety. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 50 university students in the city of Tehran were sampled using the convenience method and were randomly assigned to 2 experimental groups and 1 control group. Attention control training was delivered using death-related stimuli for the 1st experimental group, and negative stimuli unrelated to death for the 2nd experimental group. The control group didn't receive any interventions. In 3 measurements of pre-test, post-test and 3 months follow-up, death-related attentional bias, death anxiety, and sensitivity to mortality salience were assessed respectively using Modified Stroop Test, Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS) and Propensity to Moral Disengagement Scale (PMDS) after inducing Mortality Salience condition. Ethical Considerations: This study was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with the code IRCT20190406043181N1, and was approved by the research ethics committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, with the code IR.SBMU.MSP.REC.1398.539. Findings: The results of the study showed that after completing attention control training, the 1st experimental group’s death-related attentional bias, death anxiety and sensitivity to mortality salience was significantly reduced (p < 0.05), and this reduction was maintained at 3 months follow-up. No significant changes were observed in the other two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that attention control training is capable of significantly reducing death-related attentional bias, and this reduction in attentional bias leads to decreased death anxiety and sensitivity to morality salience.