Characteristics of visual attention allocation depending on the severity of depressive symptoms

Relevance. The relevance of this study is determined by the need to clarify cognitive mech-anisms associated with depressive symptomatology, in particular the characteristics of visual attention allocation during the perception of emotionally salient material. Despite a large number of eye-tracking studies on depression, the question of the specificity of visual attention to social and non-social stimuli depending on the level of depressive symptoms remains insufficiently explored.

Purpose. The aim of the study was to identify associations between the severity of depressive symptoms and oculomotor indicators of free viewing of visual scenes with different emotional valence and social context.

Materials and Methods. The study involved 50 participants aged 18 to 45 years without diagnosed psychiatric or neurological disorders. Eye movements were recorded using the “Neurobureau” hardware and software system. The stimulus material included social and non-social images with positive, neutral, dysphoric, and threatening valence. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson correlation analysis.

Results. The results showed that higher levels of depressive symptomatology were associated with reduced attentional engagement with positive social material and increased sustained attention to dysphoric social scenes. No significant associations were found for non-social stimuli.

Conclusion. The findings indicate social specificity of visual attention patterns associated with depressive symptomatology. Depressive symptoms are linked to a selective attentional bias toward emotionally congruent social material. These results may be useful for the development

of objective methods for the assessment and monitoring of depressive states.

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