Understanding the Relation Between Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

Faculty Sponsor: Charles Sanislow

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Samantha Koo

Samantha Koo is a rising senior (’23) double majoring in Psychology and Education Studies. Originally from Hong Kong, she attended Chinese International School, and graduated from Taipei American School in Taiwan. Her interests include photography, baking, and playing the ukulele. On campus, Samantha is involved with the Office of International Student Affairs, International Students Association, peer mentoring for the Education Studies Department, and tutoring for elementary and middle school students. After graduation, Samantha hopes to pursue a career in clinical psychology.

Ignore this button 🙂

Abstract: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are both internalizing disorders found to be highly comorbid with each other. GAD and MDD have four symptoms that overlap in their diagnostic criteria, sleep disturbance, psychomotor agitation/retardation, fatigue, and loss of concentration. Various frameworks and models have been proposed to reevaluate approaches to psychopathology. The “P” factor, or the general factor of psychopathology, implies that there are shared psychopathological mechanisms that function across multiple mental disorders. This study looks at the relation between anxiety and depression symptoms to explore the underlying mechanisms. Data used in this study is from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) Survey which was designed to examine the prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity. The findings of this study suggest that the symptoms of GAD and MDD can be separated into three different factors, disruptions in motivation, in arousal and regulation, and in cognition. The goal of this work is to inform understanding of the relation between GAD and MDD, which, in turn, will provide clues for future research on the underlying mechanisms and why symptoms overlap.

skoo