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Inhibitory Control in Individuals with Clinical Levels of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2021

María B. García-Martín Open the ORCID record for María B. García-Martín [Opens in a new window] ,
Francisco J. Ruiz Open the ORCID record for Francisco J. Ruiz [Opens in a new window] ,
Luna Bedoya-Valderrama ,
Miguel A. Segura-Vargas ,
Andrés Peña-Vargas ,
Jorge E. Ávila-Campos ,
Juan F. Gómez-Bermúdez  and
Vanessa Calle-Arciniegas
María B. García-Martín
Affiliation:
Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz (Colombia)
Francisco J. Ruiz
Affiliation:
Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz (Colombia)
Luna Bedoya-Valderrama
Affiliation:
Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz (Colombia)
Miguel A. Segura-Vargas
Affiliation:
Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz (Colombia)
Andrés Peña-Vargas
Affiliation:
Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz (Colombia)
Jorge E. Ávila-Campos
Affiliation:
Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz (Colombia)
Juan F. Gómez-Bermúdez
Affiliation:
Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz (Colombia)
Vanessa Calle-Arciniegas
Affiliation:
Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz (Colombia)
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Abstract

Previous research has shown that individuals suffering from depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) seem to have inhibitory control deficits compared with healthy controls. However, few studies have been conducted in Spanish-speaking countries. Thus, this study aims to analyze the performance on the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) between groups of Colombian participants with clinical levels of depression and GAD symptoms and a nonclinical control group. According to previous research, we expected to find significant differences in inhibitory control among groups. An ex post facto design was implemented. The SCWT was administered to a total sample of 105 individuals (64.8% women, M = 22.94 years, SD = 4.62), including 27 depressed and 15 anxious participants according to their scores on the Personal Health Questionnaire–9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder–7, respectively. Bayesian t-tests showed that depressed participants showed the same processing speed but lower scores on inhibitory control than healthy controls, BF = 13.70, δ = 0.50, 95% CI [0.08, 0.94]. Conversely, anxious participants showed deficits in processing speed, SCWT-Word: BF = 16.19, δ = 0.68, 95% CI [0.15, 1.24]; SCWT-Color: BF = 5.98, δ = 0.50, 95% CI [–0.01, 1.04], but not in inhibitory control compared with the nonanxious counterparts. This study provides preliminary evidence concerning the inhibitory control deficits in Colombian depressed individuals and processing speed deficits in those experiencing clinical levels of GAD symptoms.

Keywords

Depressiongeneralized anxiety disorderinhibitory controlStroop test
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 24 , 2021 , e19
Copyright
© Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2021

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Footnotes

Conflicts of Interest: None

Funding Statement: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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