Trait and state anxiety: Relations to executive functioning in an at-risk sample

Abstract

Prior research with adults suggests mixed evidence for the relations of state and trait anxiety to prefrontal executive functions (EF). Trait anxiety is hypothesised to impair the efficiency of prefrontal areas and goal-directed attention and has been largely associated with poorer performance on executive functioning tasks. Fewer studies have investigated state anxiety, and the findings have been mixed. As studies of these processes in children have been limited by small sample sizes and a focus on working memory, we examine whether state and trait anxiety are associated with performance on two EF tasks in a sample of urban, low-income children, ages 9–12. Results indicated that higher trait anxiety predicted lower executive functioning on both tasks. In addition, higher state anxiety was related to better performance on the Stroop task. Results demonstrate that, consistent with the adult literature, higher trait anxiety is related to lower executive functioning in children.

Keywords:

• State anxiety
• Trait anxiety
• Executive function

The research reported in this publication was supported by Award [grant number R01HD046160] from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or the National Institutes of Health. The first author's role in this research was also supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, through [grant number R305B080019] to New York University. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute of the US Department of Education. The Chicago School Readiness Project is not associated with The Chicago School®, which is a trademark of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

The research reported in this publication was supported by Award [grant number R01HD046160] from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or the National Institutes of Health. The first author's role in this research was also supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, through [grant number R305B080019] to New York University. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute of the US Department of Education. The Chicago School Readiness Project is not associated with The Chicago School®, which is a trademark of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.