Emotion regulation profiles and symptoms of depression and anxiety

Symptoms of depression and anxiety are pervasive and highly comorbid, prompting efforts to identify underlying transdiagnostic processes. Emotion regulation (ER) may be one such process; however, most research to date has focused on a limited set of ER strategies. Our aim in this study was to comprehensively examine the ER profiles characterizing a range of depression and anxiety symptoms. Our sample (N = 444) completed a battery of psychometric questionnaires. We assessed ER strategy use across all five stages of the process model of emotion regulation, along with symptoms of depression, stress, panic-related anxiety, generalized anxiety/worry, social anxiety, and health anxiety. Regression analyses showed that ER patterns explained significant variance (8.9 % to 33.1 %) in each symptom category. Among the strongest unique predictors were avoiding unpleasant situations and expressive suppression, both associated with greater symptoms, and cognitive reappraisal (considering benefits), which predicted lesser symptoms. A latent profile analysis identified seven profiles based on symptom patterns and ER use. Three profiles exhibited elevated symptoms but varied widely in ER use. The most symptomatic profile predominantly relied on disengagement-oriented strategies, while other elevated profiles displayed either uniformly high or low ER strategy use. Our findings highlight the transdiagnostic relevance of a wide range of ER strategies, revealing distinct ER patterns even among individuals with similar symptom presentations. They aid conceptual understanding of the link between ER and depression and anxiety symptoms and offer promising assessment and treatment targets.