The Role of Response Inhibition, Cognitive Control and Sleep Quality in Predicting the Symptoms of Male Adolescent Anxiety Disorders

Defects in cognitive control and response inhibition along with disturbance in sleep quality have been observed in people with anxiety symptoms. Based on this, the present study aims to investigate the role of response inhibition, cognitive control and sleep quality in predicting the symptoms of male adolescent anxiety disorders were investigated. 

Methods and Materials:

 The method of the current research was quantitative and correlational. The statistical population of the present study was made up of all male students of the second year of high school in Tehran in the second semester of 1400-1401, out of which 290 people were selected by available sampling method. To collect data from the Go/No Go task (GO/NO GO) by Hoffman (1984), the Cognitive Control and Flexibility Questionnaire (CCFQ) by Gabers et al. (2018), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale (PSQI) by Bayse et al. (1989), and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) March et al. (1997) were used. The collected data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression.

The results showed that inappropriate response inhibition and low sleep quality have a significant positive relationship with the symptoms of anxiety disorders, and cognitive control has a significant negative relationship with it. Also, response inhibition, cognitive control and sleep quality explain 40.6% of the variance of the symptoms and signs of anxiety disorders.

Based on the mentioned results, it can be concluded that response inhibition, cognitive control, and sleep quality as effective factors on the symptoms and signs of anxiety disorders in adolescents should be considered by specialists and therapists.