www.biolmoodanxietydisord.com

Table 1
Studies of biased attention to threat in anxious youth with studies presenting conflicting results to adult data italicised
Authors	Sample size and age information	Anxiety measure	Nature of anxiety effect reported
*Visual Probe Task*
Waters et al., [23]	Anxious group = 23 (9–12 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat and pleasant pictures
Waters et al., [23]	Healthy group = 23 (9–12 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Waters et al., [24]	Anxious group = 29 (9–12 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat faces but only those with more severe anxiety (η_p²⁼0.17)
Waters et al., [24]	Healthy group = 24 (9–12 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Waters et al., [25]	Anxious group = 19 (9.8 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat pictures(η_p² = .13)
Waters et al., [25]	Healthy group = 19 (10.1 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Pine et al., [[21]]	PTSD group = 29 (10.3 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	PTSD group showed greater avoidance of*angry faces*(cohen’s d = 0.58)
Pine et al., [[21]]	Healthy group = 17 (9.9 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Roy et al. [26]	Anxious group = 101 (11.5 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat faces(cohen’s d = 0.53)
Roy et al. [26]	Healthy group = 51 (13.6 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Vasey et al., [27]	Anxious group = 12 (11.9 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat words but only appearing in lower probed positions (cohen’s d = 0.35)
Vasey et al., [27]	Healthy group = 12 (11.8 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Dalgleish et al. [28]	PTSD group = 24 (12.8 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious group showed greater attention towards social threat and depression related words(cohen’s d = 0.56 and 0.60)
Dalgleish et al. [28]	Healthy group = 24 (12.8 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Dalgleish et al. [28]	PTSD group = 24, (12.8 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious groups showed greater attention towards threat words(cohen’s d = 0.24 and 0.59)
	GAD group = 24 (13.6 yrs)
	Healthy group = 26 (15.2 yrs)
Monk et al., [[22]]	GAD group = 18 (13.5 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious group showed greater avoidance of*angry faces*(cohen’s d = 0.64
Monk et al., [[22]]	Healthy group = 15 (12.3 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Dalgleish et al., [29]	GAD group = 24 (13.6 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious group showed greater attention towards threat words(cohen’s d = 0.72)
Dalgleish et al., [29]	Healthy group = 24 (13.2 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Monk et al.,[[30]]	GAD group = 17 (14.3 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	No group differences in attention towards*negative faces*
Monk et al.,[[30]]	Healthy group = 12 (13.1 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Keogh et al., [31]	High Anxious group = 23 (8–10 yrs)	Physical Anxiety	High anxious group showed greater attention towards emotional (threat + positive) words (η_p² = .099)
Keogh et al., [31]	Low Anxious group = 16 (8–10 yrs)	Sensitivity
Heim-Dreger et al., [32]	Whole sample = 112 (9.0 yrs)	Trait Anxiety	Trait anxiety correlated with greater attention towards threat faces
Stirling et al., [[33]]	Whole sample = 79 (9.67 yrs)	Anxiety Symptoms	Trait anxiety correlated with greater attention away from*threat faces*
Vasey et al., [34]	High Anxious group = 20 (11–14 yrs)	Test Anxiety	High anxious group showed greater attention towards threat words
Vasey et al., [34]	Low Anxious group = 20 (11–14 yrs)	Test Anxiety
Helzer et al., [35]	Whole sample = 121 (11.4 yrs)	Anxiety Symptoms	Anxious symptoms correlated with attention towards social threat words but only in those with high fearful temperament
Lonigan et al., [36]	High NA high EC group = 26 (14.7 yrs)	Negative Affectivity (NA) and Effortful Control (EC)	High NA group showed greater attention towards threat words but only in those with low EC
	High NA low EC group = 25 (14.2 yrs)
	Low NA high EC group = 27 (14.8 yrs)
	Low NA low EC group = 26 (13.8 yrs)
Telzer et al., [37]	Whole sample = 16 (15.3 yrs)	Trait Anxiety	Trait anxiety predicted greater attention towards angry faces(β = 0.52, R² = 0.38)
*Emotional Stroop Task*
Kindt et al., [[38]]	Anxious group = 40 (11.5 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	No group differences in interference effects from*threat words*
Kindt et al., [[38]]	Healthy group = 14 (13.6 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Kindt et al., [[39]]	High Anxious group = 25 (8–9 yrs)	Trait Anxiety	No group differences in interference effects from*threat faces*
Kindt et al., [[39]]	Low Anxious group = 22 (8–9 yrs)	Trait Anxiety
Kindt et al., [[40]]	High Phobic group = 72 (8–12 yrs)	Spider Phobia	No group differences in interference effects from*threat faces*
Kindt et al., [[40]]	Low Phobic group = 73 (8–12 yrs)	Spider Phobia
Martin et al., [41]	Phobic group = 71 (4–9 yrs)	Spider Phobia	High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat pictures
Martin et al., [41]	Healthy group = 72 (4–9 yrs)	Spider Phobia
Martin et al., [42]	Phobic group = 24 (6–13 yrs)	Spider Phobia	High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat words
Martin et al., [42]	Healthy group = 24 (6–13 yrs)	Spider Phobia
Kindt et al., [43]	High Phobic group = 29 (8–12 yrs)	Spider Phobia	High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat words
Kindt et al., [43]	Low Phobic group = 30 (8–12 yrs)	Spider Phobia
Heim-Dreger et al., [32]	Whole sample = 82 (8.6 yrs)	State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety	Trait and state anxiety correlated with greater interference from threat faces
Heim-Dreger et al., [32]	Whole sample = 112 (9.0 yrs)	State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety	Trait and state anxiety correlated with greater interference from threat faces
Hadwin et al., [[44]]	Whole sample = 74 (9.1 yrs)	Trait Anxiety	No correlation between trait anxiety and interference from*threat faces*
Richards et al., [45]	High Anxious group = 24 (11.9 yrs)	Trait Anxiety	High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat faces(η_p² = .12)
Richards et al., [45]	Low Anxious group = 26 (11.0 yrs)	Trait Anxiety
Richards et al., [46]	High Anxious group = 15 (16.9 yrs)	Anxiety Symptoms	High Anxious group showed a greater interference from threat words
Richards et al., [46]	Low Anxious group = 15 (16.0 yrs)	Anxiety Symptoms
*Visual Search Task*
Hadwin et al., [47]	Whole sample = 53 (7–10 yrs)	Trait Anxiety	Trait anxiety correlated with faster search times for threat cartoons when the threat-target was absent
Hadwin et al., [47]	Whole sample = 38 (6–10 yrs)	Trait Anxiety	Trait anxiety correlated with faster search times for threat face when the threat-target was absent
*Emotional Go/No-Go Task*
Waters et al., [48]	Anxious group = 20 (9.9 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious girls were slower in responding to ‘neutral face’ Go trials when embedded in ‘angry face’ No-Go trials
Waters et al., [48]	Healthy group = 20 (10.0 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis
Ladouceur et al., [49]	Anxious group = 23 (12.5 yrs)	Clinical diagnosis	Anxious group were slower in responding to ‘neutral face’ Go trials when embedded in ‘angry face’ No-Go trials
	Healthy group = 26 (12.5 yrs)

GAD Generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder, SAD Separation anxiety disorder, SP social phobia, ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, MDD Major Depressive Disorder, SCR skin conductance responses.

Lau et al. Biology of Mood & Anxiety Disorders 2012 2:12 doi:10.1186/2045-5380-2-12

Table 1