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Cited by 31Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Anxiety disorders and executive functions: A three-level meta-analysis of reaction time and accuracy

Open access
Majeed, Nadyanna M., Chua, Yi Jing, Kothari, Meenakshi, Kaur, Manmeet, Quek, Frosch Y.X., Ng, Matthew H.S., Ng, Wee Qin, Hartanto, Andree·2023·Psychiatry Research Communications
DOI 10.1016/j.psycom.2022.100100
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Abstract

Anxiety disorders, one of the most common classes of psychological disorders, have been shown to result in a decreased quality of life. Although some research suggests that anxiety disorders are linked to impairments in executive functioning, the inconsistency in the current literature yields an unclear conclusion on the relationship between the two. The current meta-analysis systematically investigated 55 records (N ​= ​4601; kReactionTime ​= ​44, kAccuracy ​= ​79) that compared various groups with anxiety disorders to healthy controls on executive function tasks. Overall, our meta-analysis showed that individuals with anxiety disorders exhibited significant deficits in performance efficiency (reaction times) on executive function tasks. However, we also found that individuals with anxiety disorders may outperform their healthy peers in performance effectiveness (task accuracy) in some conditions. Type of anxiety disorders, domain of executive functions, and mediation use were identified to moderate the overall relations between anxiety disorders and executive functioning. Nevertheless, the results were robust across important demographic and other clinical moderators (e.g., anxiety severity and comorbidity).

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  • Use of an anxiety disorder group as the clinical comparison group may produce a slight overestimate of ADHD-related working memory deficits (based on accuracy data) and may either not affect or produce a small underestimate of ADHD-related inhibition deficits.

    “Applied to the current study’s outcome data, these meta-analytic estimates suggest that our use of an anxiety disorder group as the clinical comparison group may produce a slight overestimate of ADHD-related working memory deficits (based on accuracy data).”

    From Working memory and inhibitory control deficits in children with ADHD: an experimental evaluation of competing model predictions (2024) · cites this paper as [81]

  • Effect sizes for anxiety and executive function tended to be similar across anxiety disorder categories, anxiety severity, and/or state versus trait anxiety.

    “However, when examined, effect sizes tended to be similar across anxiety disorder categories, anxiety severity, and/or state versus trait anxiety (80–82), at least for the diagnoses included in the current study (please see Method section below).”

    From Working memory and inhibitory control deficits in children with ADHD: an experimental evaluation of competing model predictions (2024) · cites this paper as [81]

  • Recent meta-analyses diverge in documenting a small magnitude working memory impairment in children with anxiety disorders, no significant impairment, or no significant impairment based on response time data but a small, significant strength based on accuracy data.

    “Regarding working memory, recent meta-analyses diverge in documenting a small magnitude impairment in children with anxiety disorders (d=-0.24; 82), no significant impairment (ns; 80), or no significant impairment based on response time data (ns) but a small, significant strength based on accuracy data (d=0.38; 81) that was also found in a recent empirical study controlling for ADHD status (d=0.19”

    From Working memory and inhibitory control deficits in children with ADHD: an experimental evaluation of competing model predictions (2024) · cites this paper as [81]

  • Meta-analytic evidence indicates that anxiety disorders are not associated with inhibitory control impairments or are associated with small magnitude impairments that are significant based on response times but not accuracy.

    “Regarding inhibitory control, meta-analytic evidence indicates that anxiety disorders are not associated with impairments (ns; 79) or are associated with small magnitude impairments (d=-0.31; 80) that are significant based on analysis of response times (d=-0.27) but not accuracy data (ns; 81).”

    From Working memory and inhibitory control deficits in children with ADHD: an experimental evaluation of competing model predictions (2024) · cites this paper as [81]

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Authors
Majeed, N. M., Chua, Y. J., Kothari, M., Kaur, M., Quek, F. Y. X., Ng, M. H. S., Ng, W. Q., & Hartanto, A.
Affiliations
  • National University of Singapore (SG)
  • Singapore Management University (SG)
Corresponding author
  • Chua, Yi Jing
  • Hartanto, Andree
ORCID
Venue
Psychiatry Research Communications
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-03
Volume
3
Issue
1
Pages
100100
ISSN
2772-5987 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.psycom.2022.100100
OpenAlex
W4317757043
Cited by
31
References
140
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 3
FWCI
1.32
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Psychiatry Research Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Singapore Management University Institutional Knowledge (InK) (Singapore Management University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
anxiety disorders, executive function, reaction time, task accuracy, performance efficiency, performance effectiveness, cognitive impairment, mediation, anxiety levels, comorbidities

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