Temporal Dynamics of Anticipatory Physiological Responding in Pediatric Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

Anxiety disorders feature excessive fear responding in anticipation of threat, indexed by increased psychophysiological response in anxious vs. healthy individuals during evoked threat-anticipatory states. The temporal dynamics of threat-anticipatory responding are unspecified; these could elucidate psychobiological mechanisms mediating excessive fears in anxiety. We examine whether anticipatory psychophysiological differentially covaries with threat imminence in pediatric anxiety.