News

Slower teen reaction times may increase anxiety and depression risk later in life


 

References

Adolescents with slower processing speeds and longer reaction times were at a greater risk of anxiety and depression later in life, according to Catharine R. Gale, Ph.D., of the University of Southampton (England) and her associates.

In this 20-year study of 705 males and females, longer reaction time at 16 years indicated a small but significant association with poorer mental health at age 36.

Adjusting for sex, parental social class, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) score at age 16 years, health behaviors at age 36 years, and allostatic load had little effect on the association between reaction time and the GHQ score, but the association was weakened with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores for both anxiety and depression. Smoking had a mediating effect on the HADS anxiety score, but not on the depression subscale.

“Further prospective studies of the relation between reaction time and mental health outcomes in other samples are needed to gauge whether reaction time is a true risk factor for mental disorders and to confirm the mediating roles played by smoking and allostatic load,” the investigators noted.

Find the full study in Psychosomatic Medicine (doi:10.1097/PSY.0000000000000189).

lfranki@frontlinemedcom.com

Recommended Reading

Novel treatments for depression
MDedge Psychiatry
AAN: Maternal valproate linked to kids’ physical, cognitive problems
MDedge Psychiatry
AAS: Experts say suicide research needs a reboot
MDedge Psychiatry
ABA: Childhood burn survivors risk more physical, mental disorders
MDedge Psychiatry
After Great Recession, women at higher risk of anxiety
MDedge Psychiatry
ATS: Study confirms strong association between sleep apnea, depression
MDedge Psychiatry
APA: Shift in focus advocated for suicide prevention
MDedge Psychiatry
APA: Botox tied to lifting of refractory depression
MDedge Psychiatry
APA: Predictive analytics and big data hold promise in mood disorders
MDedge Psychiatry
APA: Transcranial near-infrared light could be useful in depression
MDedge Psychiatry