The Developmental Trajectories of Attentional Biases and Their Association With Internalising Symptoms in Children Transitioning Into Early Adolescence

Abstract

Despite the developmental models proposed by Field and Lester, no studies have investigated the developmental trajectories of attentional biases and examined their association with internalising symptoms. The current study aimed to establish the developmental trajectories of self-reported negative and positive attentional biases. Two hundred sixty four Chinese children, ranging in age from 9 to 10 years, were recruited from a primary school in Shenzhen, mainland China. Self-reported inventories of attentional biases, active and avoidant coping styles, and internalising symptoms were completed at the first assessment by children in classrooms. After 6 months, children completed the same self-reported inventories of attentional biases and internalising symptoms from the second to the fourth wave, with an assessment interval of 6 months. After controlling for the effect of active and avoidant coping styles, children with the trajectory membership of higher negative attentional bias were more likely to have the trajectory membership of higher internalising symptoms. Children with the trajectory membership of lower positive attentional bias were more likely to have the trajectory membership of higher internalising symptoms, after controlling for active and avoidant coping styles. The results have implications for the developmental model of attentional biases and internalising symptoms.