Williams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety

Abstract Background Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have an elevated risk for anxiety disorders throughout the life span, making it a research priority to identify the individual factors associated with anxiety. Most of the existing literature is based on questionnaire data and suggests that...

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Autores principales:	Charlotte Willfors, Deborah M. Riby, Marcus van der Poll, Katja Ekholm, Hanna Avdic Björlin, Johan Lundin Kleberg, Ann Nordgren
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	BMC 2021
Materias:	Medicine R
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/7fa6d36bfed6447b9bb71d38a39bbfb1
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:7fa6d36bfed6447b9bb71d38a39bbfb12021-11-14T12:25:09ZWilliams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety10.1186/s13023-021-02098-41750-1172https://doaj.org/article/7fa6d36bfed6447b9bb71d38a39bbfb12021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-021-02098-4https://doaj.org/toc/1750-1172Abstract Background Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have an elevated risk for anxiety disorders throughout the life span, making it a research priority to identify the individual factors associated with anxiety. Most of the existing literature is based on questionnaire data and suggests that impaired executive functions (EF) increase the risk for anxiety in WS. The aim of this study was to use direct measures by trained clinicians to investigate the effects of general intelligence, inhibition, sustained attention, and working memory on anxiety in WS, to further elucidate potential underlying mechanisms. Method Twenty-four individuals with WS participated in the study (mean age: 29 years, range: 9–53 years), together with at least one of their parents. The MINI international neuropsychiatric interview for DSM-5 was completed to establish clinical diagnosis of anxiety, and the Clinical Global Impression Scale – Severity was used for an expert rating of symptom severity. Intellectual abilities were measured using the Wechsler scales, and attention and inhibition using the Conner’s Continuous Performance Test. In addition, a parent-report questionnaire measuring EF, learning and memory was collected. Results In contrast to the apriori hypothesis, there was no significant association between anxiety and core elements of EF such as working memory, sustained attention, and inhibition (i.e. the process of restraining one’s impulses or behaviour). Using ordinal logistic regression analyses, we showed that decreasing intelligence quotient (IQ) and age are associated with elevated anxiety. We confirmed these results in between-groups analyses (anxiety disorder vs no current anxiety disorder), and low IQ was associated with higher risk of having an anxiety diagnosis. In addition, Bayesian statistics gave substantial evidence for no significant association between anxiety and inhibition. Conclusion By using direct measures of psychological pathology and functioning, the current results provide a deeper characterisation of the WS phenotype and provide novel insights into the potential mechanisms underpinning anxiety.Charlotte WillforsDeborah M. RibyMarcus van der PollKatja EkholmHanna Avdic BjörlinJohan Lundin KlebergAnn NordgrenBMCarticleMedicineRENOrphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, Vol 16, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R
spellingShingle	Medicine R Charlotte Willfors Deborah M. Riby Marcus van der Poll Katja Ekholm Hanna Avdic Björlin Johan Lundin Kleberg Ann Nordgren Williams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety
description	Abstract Background Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have an elevated risk for anxiety disorders throughout the life span, making it a research priority to identify the individual factors associated with anxiety. Most of the existing literature is based on questionnaire data and suggests that impaired executive functions (EF) increase the risk for anxiety in WS. The aim of this study was to use direct measures by trained clinicians to investigate the effects of general intelligence, inhibition, sustained attention, and working memory on anxiety in WS, to further elucidate potential underlying mechanisms. Method Twenty-four individuals with WS participated in the study (mean age: 29 years, range: 9–53 years), together with at least one of their parents. The MINI international neuropsychiatric interview for DSM-5 was completed to establish clinical diagnosis of anxiety, and the Clinical Global Impression Scale – Severity was used for an expert rating of symptom severity. Intellectual abilities were measured using the Wechsler scales, and attention and inhibition using the Conner’s Continuous Performance Test. In addition, a parent-report questionnaire measuring EF, learning and memory was collected. Results In contrast to the apriori hypothesis, there was no significant association between anxiety and core elements of EF such as working memory, sustained attention, and inhibition (i.e. the process of restraining one’s impulses or behaviour). Using ordinal logistic regression analyses, we showed that decreasing intelligence quotient (IQ) and age are associated with elevated anxiety. We confirmed these results in between-groups analyses (anxiety disorder vs no current anxiety disorder), and low IQ was associated with higher risk of having an anxiety diagnosis. In addition, Bayesian statistics gave substantial evidence for no significant association between anxiety and inhibition. Conclusion By using direct measures of psychological pathology and functioning, the current results provide a deeper characterisation of the WS phenotype and provide novel insights into the potential mechanisms underpinning anxiety.
format	article
author	Charlotte Willfors Deborah M. Riby Marcus van der Poll Katja Ekholm Hanna Avdic Björlin Johan Lundin Kleberg Ann Nordgren
author_facet	Charlotte Willfors Deborah M. Riby Marcus van der Poll Katja Ekholm Hanna Avdic Björlin Johan Lundin Kleberg Ann Nordgren
author_sort	Charlotte Willfors
title	Williams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety
title_short	Williams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety
title_full	Williams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety
title_fullStr	Williams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety
title_full_unstemmed	Williams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety
title_sort	williams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety
publisher	BMC
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/7fa6d36bfed6447b9bb71d38a39bbfb1
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Williams syndrome: on the role of intellectual abilities in anxiety

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