Distinctive Effects of Depression and Anxiety on Children’s Cognition and Emotional Bias

1256 

Abstract Submission 

Jisu Chung¹, Sang Ah Lee¹

¹Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul

Jisu Chung  
Seoul National University
Gwanak-gu, Seoul

Sang Ah Lee  
Seoul National University
Gwanak-gu, Seoul

Emotional wellness, such as depression and anxiety, has an impact on cognitive processes such as emotional bias, attention, and inhibitory control. However, while there is a high level of comorbidity in depression and anxiety(1), their cognitive effects may be dissociable(2). The present study aimed to extend such infestation to the cognitive effects of anxiety and depression symptoms in childhood. To address the challenge of conducting tests involving many trials on children, we used modified versions of the emotional flanker task, emotional stroop task, and an emotion-color conjunction task using animated faces.

45 children aged between 5 to 9 were recruited for participation at the children's museum. 33 (mean age = 7.44, female 18) successfully completed the task and surveys. Three different emotional attentional tasks were employed to examine cognitive abilities and behavioral characteristics of children: an emotional flanker task, an emotional stroop task, and an emotional feature conjunction task. In the emotional conjunction task, participants had to select the target defined with a conjunction of color and facial expression. All three tasks used animated cat faces and a children-friendly interface to draw and sustain children's attention. Self-report questionnaires, including a depression scale (CES-DC)(5), anxiety scale (STAI-CH)(4), and ADHD scale (K-ARS)(3), were collected to assess children's emotional health and parent-reported ADHD symptoms. All experiments were conducted in a room within a children's museum.

Depression and trait anxiety scores were highly correlated (r = 0.461, p = 0.002). However, ADHD surveys (K-ARS) showed a correlation with depression scores (r = 0.403, p = 0.008) but not with anxiety scores (r= 0.143, p=0.368). These results suggest that depression and anxiety may have different effects on cognition.
In the emotional flanker task, overall reaction time showed a correlation with depression scores (r = 0.397, p = 0.024, STAI-CH as covariate), but not with anxiety scores (r = -0.188, p = 0.302, CES-DC as covariate). Interestingly, this correlation was driven by the congruent emotion conditions (all positive or negative faces) (positive; r = 0.357, p = 0.045, negative; r = 0.576, p = 0.001, STAI-CH as covariate), showing that a highly emotional stimulus took more time to process in children with depressive symptoms.
In contrast, the emotional Stroop task showed slower response times with higher anxiety (r = 0.345, p = 0.053, CES-DC as covariate), particularly in the negative condition (r = 0.373, p = 0.036, CES-DC as covariate). The emotional conjunction task also showed a correlation between response time and anxiety (r = 0.39, p = 0.044), but not with depression (r = 0.139, p = 0.49), particularly when the target was a negative face(r = 0.44, p = 0.02). These results suggest that children with high trait anxiety may have maladaptive emotion regulation, especially with negative emotional stimuli.

Our findings suggest that children's depression and trait anxiety show distinct effects in emotion-related cognitive tasks. We speculate that delayed executive function and conflict resolution are related to depressive symptoms, while decrease in inhibitory function, particularly with respect to negative emotional processing, is associated with children's anxiety. Such tasks can be useful for younger children who may not be able to recognize nor explain their cognitive symptoms.

Emotional Perception ²

Early life, Adolescence, Aging ¹

Affective Disorders

Attention Deficit Disorder

Cognition

Data analysis

Development

Emotions

Plasticity