Although both executive functions and internalizing symptoms go through important changes during adolescence, the role of executive functions in internalizing symptoms is unclear. Based on developmental cascade models of psychopathology, this study aimed to fill this gap by studying the bidirectional predictive relationship between executive functions (cognitive flexibility and selective attention) and symptoms of depression and social anxiety. A sample of 698 adolescents (40.8% girls) between 12 and 17 years of age (M = 14.59, SD = 1.36) participated in three waves over 1 year. They completed measures of executive functions and internalizing symptoms. Depressive symptoms predicted deficits in executive functions. Conversely, social anxiety symptoms predicted an improvement in cognitive flexibility. These results suggest that executive function deficits are not a risk factor for the development of depressive symptoms but a consequence of them, and there are specific patterns of associations for depressive and social anxiety symptoms.

尽管执行功能和内在症状在青春期都会经历重要变化，但执行功能在内在症状中的作用尚不清楚。基于心理病理学的发展级联模型，本研究旨在通过研究执行功能（认知灵活性和选择性注意）与抑郁症和社交焦虑症之间的双向预测关系来填补这一空白。样本为12至17岁之间的698名青少年（女孩占40.8％）（M  = 14.59，SD = 1.36）在一年内参加了三波。他们完成了执行功能和内在症状的测量。抑郁症状预示着执行功能的缺陷。相反，社交焦虑症状预示着认知灵活性的改善。这些结果表明，执行功能缺陷不是抑郁症状发展的风险因素，而是抑郁症的后果，并且存在抑郁和社交焦虑症状的特定关联模式。