Brief
Study links children’s attention to sad faces with depression risk
Eye‑tracking of 242 children over two years shows a bidirectional link between attention to sad expressions and depressive symptoms.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Binghamton University researchers reported that children who spend more time looking at sad faces may be at higher risk for developing depression, particularly if they have a family history of the disorder.
What happened
The Mood Disorders Institute at SUNY Binghamton followed 242 children and their mothers for two years, assessing them every six months. During each visit, participants viewed pairs of faces—one neutral and one showing happiness, sadness, or anger—while eye‑tracking technology recorded which face captured their attention and for how long.
What the reports add
According to the study, this is the first longitudinal work to examine how changes in attentional bias and depressive symptoms predict each other over time. Lead author Kelly Gair described the approach as “novel” because it captures transactional relations between the two variables.
What was said
"Most of the vulnerabilities that we focus on are still developing during this time period," said Brandon Gibb, director of the Mood Disorders Institute and SUNY distinguished professor of psychology. "You can catch things as they're developing, rather than only studying them once they're already there and pretty stable."
How it came about
The research builds on earlier work that linked depression with greater attention to sad faces, but prior findings were modest and could not determine causality. By tracking both attention patterns and depressive symptoms across multiple time points, the Binghamton team aims to identify early markers that could inform prevention strategies.
Key facts
- The study tracked 242 children and their mothers for two years, with assessments every six months. (sciencedaily.com)
- Eye‑tracking measured how long children looked at neutral versus emotional faces (happy, sad, angry). (sciencedaily.com)
- Researchers found a bidirectional relationship: attention to sad faces and depressive symptoms predicted each other over time. (sciencedaily.com)
- Brandon Gibb emphasized that the study targets vulnerabilities still developing in childhood. (sciencedaily.com)
- Kelly Gair called the focus on transactional relations between attentional bias and symptoms a novel aspect of the work. (sciencedaily.com)
Sources
- [1] sciencedaily.com — originally reported as “Children at risk for depression get “stuck” on sad faces”
