Testing a Transdiagnostic Model Including Distal and Proximal Risk Factors for Depression and Anxiety

This study aimed to test a transdiagnostic model for depression and anxiety by including childhood trauma and parenting as the distal factors and neuroticism, emotion dysregulation, and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) as the proximal factors. Data were obtained from clinical (major depression, panic, generalized anxiety, or comorbid disorders) and nonclinical samples. Results showed that healthy controls had lower scores than the clinical sample in all measures. Moreover, participants with a single diagnosis had lower scores than those with comorbid diagnoses. The structural regression confirmed that the proximal factor represented by neuroticism, emotion dysregulation, and RNT had a mediating role between the distal factor represented by childhood trauma and negative parenting and emotional symptoms. Results refer to common vulnerability factors underlying depression and anxiety. Such findings indicate the transdiagnostic nature of the variables, provide new insight into psychopathology, and contribute to the development of common psychotherapy programs for emotional disorders.