Variation in the recall of socially rewarding information and symptoms of generalised anxiety: evidence from two cohorts.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cognitive theories suggest that anxiety symptoms are associated with increased recall of threatening information, but previous evidence has been inconsistent. We examined whether recall of socially rewarding or threatening information was associated with concurrent and subsequent generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms.

Methods

We used data from a cohort study (N = 530, 68% female) and the baseline of a randomised controlled trial (N = 653, 58% female). All participants had a history of depressive symptoms. Both studies included a computerised task assessing incidental word recall and measured GAD symptoms using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7). We tested concurrent associations in both samples and lagged associations in the cohort, which me

SUBMITTER: Yeung CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12539046 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature