Project duration: June 2024 – June 2025 (completed)

The Un-Bias project was funded by the ‘METADIDAKTOR 2023’ research program of the Cyprus University of Technology. It focused on the study of illness anxiety, a common phenomenon affecting a large number of individuals.

People with illness anxiety often display attention biases toward health-threatening information, which may maintain or exacerbate anxiety symptoms. However, the available evidence on attention biases related to illness anxiety is limited and often comes from studies with insufficient and less reliable experimental designs.

Un-Bias aimed to overcome these limitations by employing eye-tracking methodology to examine the mechanisms underlying attention biases toward health-related information in individuals with elevated illness anxiety symptoms. In parallel, it investigated the role of co-occurring emotional dimensions, such as state and trait anxiety.

The project’s findings will guide future research in clinical populations, enhance public awareness, and support healthcare professionals in improving diagnostic criteria and developing targeted interventions for illness anxiety.

The Un-Bias project was hosted at the Department of Nursing (BSiH Lab) and supported by the Brain and Cognitive Science (BaCS) Lab of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Cyprus University of Technology.

The project was conducted by Dr. Athina Manoli (Postdoctoral Researcher) under the supervision of Dr. Angelos Kassianos.

For more information please visit the εργαστηρίου Behavioral Science in Health – BSiH Lab website www.bsihlab.com