The error-related negativity (ERN) moderates the association between interpersonal stress and anxiety symptoms six months later

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are often preceded by interpersonal stress; however, most individuals who experience stress do not develop anxiety, making it difficult to predict who is most susceptible to stress. One proposed trans-diagnostic neural risk marker for anxiety is the error-related negativity (ERN), a negative defection in the event-related potential waveform occurring within 100 ms of error commission. The present study sought to investigate whether interpersonal stress experienced over the course of a year interacts with ERN magnitude to prospectively predict anxiety symptoms. A sample of 57 emerging adults performed an arrow flanker task to elicit the ERN at the start of the academic school year (time one). Toward the end of the academic year (time two), participants reported on past-year interpersonal stress and anxiety symptoms. Stress interacted with ERN magnitude to predict anxiety symptoms, whereby, for individuals with an enhanced ERN at time one, greater interpersonal stress over the course of a year was significantly associated with increased anxiety symptoms at time two, even controlling for anxiety symptoms at time one. These findings suggest that enhanced performance monitoring may render individuals more susceptible to the adverse effects of interpersonal stress, thereby increasing risk for heightened anxiety.

Understanding Trajectories to Anxiety and Depression: Neural Responses to Errors and Rewards as Indices of Susceptibility to Stressful Life Events

“…Loss and Gain at Cz ( Banica et al, 2020). Another study found a similar effect in children exposed to a natural disaster (Meyer et al, 2017), and in a study of adults, a heightened ERN prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was indirectly associated with increases in symptoms during the first COVID-19 wave, through effects on perceived risk and stress (Riesel et al, 2021).…”

“…There is emerging evidence that an enhanced neural response to errors makes people particularly susceptible to adverse effects of stressors. For instance, one recent study showed that among first-year undergraduates who experienced a large number of stressors across the course of their first year, students with a larger ERN at entry to university were more likely to show heightened anxiety by the end of the year than those who had a smaller ERN at baseline (Banica et al, 2020). Another study found a similar effect in children exposed to a natural disaster (Meyer et al, 2017), and in a study of adults, a heightened ERN prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was indirectly associated with increases in symptoms during the first COVID-19 wave, through effects on perceived risk and stress (Riesel et al, 2021).…”

The Impact of Chinese College Students' Perceived Stress on Anxiety During the COVID-19 Epidemic: The Mediating Role of Irrational Beliefs

“…Worries about academic performance lead to dual stresses upon students' mental health (6). A volume of literature found that anxiety mostly followed a stressful event (7)(8)(9)(10). Previous research found that compared with objective stress, subjective stress could better predict the mental health of college students (11).…”

Neurocognitive Profiles in Adolescence Predict Subsequent Anxiety Trajectories During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The relation between heightened error monitoring, as indexed by a larger (i.e., more negative) ERN, and greater anxiety has been demonstrated both concurrently and longitudinally, such that a larger ERN predicts greater anxiety later in development ( 16 , 17 ). Although longitudinal data remain scarce and the effects are relatively weak, the available evidence suggests that individuals with an elevated ERN are prone to heightened anxiety following high levels of stress ( 18 , 19 ), such as natural disasters [e.g., Hurricane Sandy ( 19 )]. Together, these findings suggest that heightened error monitoring may predict increased anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”