Anxiety disorders are the most common psychopathologies among adolescents. Their diagnostic criteria include both fear and anxiety symptomatology, although according to the literature, we can find evidence for some distinction between these two emotions. The present study contribute to this distinction, exploring the effects of trait fear and trait anxiety on behavioral and neural correlates. Thirty-two participants (aged 11–16 years) performed two experimental tasks of salient target detection, including visual stimuli that were manipulated to become salient, while reaction times and EEG were recorded. Results of both tasks revealed differential effects of trait fear and trait anxiety assessed through the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised and the Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 on reaction times and ERP components amplitudes. Specifically, higher symptoms from Separation Anxiety Disorder increased early neural visual processing and decreased reaction times for more salient stimuli. Also, trait fear reduced later neural visual processing of salient stimuli. These findings may provide a significant contribution to guiding psychological interventions, especially with adolescents presenting higher levels of anxiety-related symptomatology.

焦虑症是青少年中最常见的精神病理学。他们的诊断标准包括恐惧和焦虑症状，尽管根据文献，我们可以找到这两种情绪之间的一些区别的证据。本研究有助于这种区分，探索特质恐惧和特质焦虑对行为和神经相关因素的影响。32 名参与者（11-16 岁）执行了两项显着目标检测的实验任务，包括操纵视觉刺激使其变得显着，同时记录反应时间和脑电图。这两项任务的结果揭示了通过儿童恐惧调查表修订版和DSM-5 青年焦虑测量评估的特质恐惧和特质焦虑对反应时间和 ERP 成分幅度的不同影响。具体来说，分离焦虑症的较高症状会增加早期神经视觉处理，并减少对更显着刺激的反应时间。此外，特质恐惧会减少后期对显着刺激的神经视觉处理。这些发现可能为指导心理干预做出重大贡献，特别是对于表现出较高水平的焦虑相关症状的青少年。