Executive functioning in college students with anxiety and depression: a multivariate analysis

• Published in: Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology Vol. 11; no. 3
• Main Authors: Juan Francisco Palomares Gómez, Andrés Mauricio Grisales
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Messina 01.01.2023
• Subjects: anxiety; depression; neuropsychology; university students
• ISSN: 2282-1619
• DOI: 10.13129/2282-1619/mjcp-3596

Background: Executive functioning regulates, integrates and coordinates cognitive processes allowing the achievement of goals. Several research studies determined that anxiety and depression in College students interconnect bidirectionally with executive functions. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between anxiety, depression and executive functioning in a sample of college students from the city of Manizales-Colombia. Method: This study used a simple probabilistic cluster sampling, a sample of 224 students from different universities in the city of Manizales was formed, the average age was 21 years, 75.9% of the sample was female. Updating (WAIS IV Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale), shifting (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test - WCST), inhibitory control (Colors and Words Test - STROOP), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - STAI) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory II), were measured. Results: Using multivariate analysis, specific differences were found between executive domains and some emotional variables. Discussion: Trait anxiety correlates negatively with working memory and increases the probability of presenting a high level of shifting, as well as depression increases the probability of inhibition was above average.