Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jun 1;15(6):1138.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061138.

A Systematic Review of Attention Biases in Opioid, Cannabis, Stimulant Use Disorders

Melvyn Zhang  1   2 , Jiangbo Ying  3 , Tracey Wing  4 , Guo Song  5 , Daniel S S Fung  6 , Helen Smith  7
Affiliations

A Systematic Review of Attention Biases in Opioid, Cannabis, Stimulant Use Disorders

Melvyn Zhang et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Opiates, cannabis, and amphetamines are highly abused, and use of these substances are prevalent disorders. Psychological interventions are crucial given that they help individuals maintain abstinence following a lapse or relapse into substance use. Advances in experimental psychology have suggested that automatic attention biases might be responsible for relapse. Prior reviews have provided evidence for the presence of these biases in addictive disorders and the effectiveness of bias modification. However, the prior studies are limited, as they failed to include trials involving participants with these prevalent addictive disorders or have failed to adopt a systematic approach in evidence synthesis. Objectives: The primary aim of this current systematic review is to synthesise the current evidence for attention biases amongst opioid use, cannabis use, and stimulant use disorders. The secondary aim is to determine the efficacy of attention bias modification interventions and other addictions related outcomes. Methods: A search was conducted from November 2017 to January 2018 on PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Science Direct, Cochrane Central, and Scopus. The selection process of the articles was in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. A qualitative synthesis was undertaken. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Results: Six randomised trials were identified. The evidence synthesized from these trials have provided strong evidence that attentional biases are present in opioid and stimulant use disorders. Evidence synthesis for other secondary outcome measures could not be performed given the heterogeneity in the measures reported and the limited number of trials. The risk of bias assessment for the included trials revealed a high risk of selection and attrition bias. Conclusions: This review demonstrates the potential need for interventions targeting attention biases in opiate and cocaine use disorders.

Keywords: addiction; attention bias; cannabis; cognitive bias; opioids; stimulants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have any competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart for the Selection of Articles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of Bias Assessment for included studies.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Risk of Bias assessment for each of the included studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Exexcutive Summary: Conclusions and Policy Implications. [(accessed on 12 April 2018)]; Available online: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/scientists/world-drug-report-2017---execu....
    1. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction Perspectives on Drugs: The Role of Psychosocial Interventions in Drug Treatment. [(accessed on 12 April 2018)]; Available online: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/topics/pods/psychosocial-interv....
    1. World Health Organization Clinical Guidelines for Withdrawal Management and Treatment of Drug Dependence in Closed Settings. [(accessed on 12 April 2018)];2009 Available online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310654/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK310654.pdf. - PubMed
    1. McHugh R.K., Hearon B.A., Otto M.W. Cognitive behavioral therapy for substance use disorders. Psychiatr. Clin. N. Am. 2010;33:511–525. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2010.04.012. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cutler R.B., Fishbain D.A. Are alcoholism treatments effective? The Project MATCH data. BMC Public Health. 2005;5:75. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-5-75. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances

LinkOut - more resources