The impact of depression and social anxiety on eye orientation and disengagement in individuals with and without depression

In individuals with depression, the comorbidity with social anxiety disorder is prevalent that often exacerbates symptoms and social dysfunction, such as exhibiting more severe social avoidance and interpersonal impairment. Our study used the eye-tracking technique to explore how depression and social anxiety, individually and in combination, influence orientation toward and disengagement from the eyes in individuals diagnosed with depression or not. Participants were 49 healthy individuals and 64 individuals with depression, whose gaze was initially guided to the eye or mouth region immediately before the onset of the face. Latency to disengage from the guided regions and latency to orient to the eyes following the onset of the face were measured. The findings revealed that, firstly, individuals showed delayed disengagement from the eyes compared to the mouth regardless of depression diagnosis or social anxiety level. Secondly, in healthy individuals, increased social anxiety was related to quick eye orientation. Thirdly, in individuals with depression, longer disengagement latencies from the eyes were associated with higher levels of depression or social anxiety, but only when one of the scores was high, not medium or low. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the distinct and combined impacts of depression and social anxiety on clinical and nonclinical individuals, informing more targeted clinical interventions and assessment strategies.