AUTHOR=Zebdi Rafika , Goyet Louise , Pinabiaux Charlotte , Guellaï Bahia TITLE=Psychological Disorders and Ecological Factors Affect the Development of Executive Functions: Some Perspectives JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry VOLUME=7 YEAR=2016 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00195 DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00195 ISSN=1664-0640 ABSTRACT=

The links between deficits in executive functions (EFs) (e.g., mental flexibility, inhibition capacities, etc.) and some psychological disorders (e.g., anxiety and depressive disorders) have been investigated in the past decades or so. Observations evidenced that some deficits in working memory, planning, and mental flexibility were highly correlated with anxiety and depressive disorders. The majority of studies focused on adults’ population, whereas it seems important to adopt a developmental perspective to fully understand the dynamic relation of these EF/psychological disorders. We suggest to focus on the following two axes in future research: (i) relations between EF and anxiety traits through development and (ii) the possible role of external factors such as parent–child relationships on the development of EF.