Date of Award
8-1-2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Psychology
First Advisor
Danielle J. Maack
Second Advisor
John N. Young
Third Advisor
Mervin R. Mathew
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
The polythetic criteria of the DSM and ICD generate high amount of symptom heterogeneity as there are clusters of symptoms within various diagnostic category that are heuristically similar, resulting in multiple, often confusing, ways of describing sequelae of symptoms presentation. This is because the DSM and ICD classification systems were developed based on the neo-Kraepelinian framework for classifying physical illnesses, which assumes that the underlying architecture of psychopathology, which manifest in disorder symptoms, are distinct and specific. Based on this, the categorical approach to describing psychopathology has been described as purely conceptual artefact with no empirical basis in research or practice. Studies indicate that conceptualizing disorders based on their underlying etiology would yield more valuable information, by highlighting the functional liabilities that portend risks for disorder symptom presentation. As a result, various transdiagnostic models of psychopathology have been proposed to explain the underlying mechanism of disorder symptoms. However, existing transdiagnostic models of psychopathology are mostly atheoretical, as there is absence of a well-grounded conceptual formulation backing their fundamental assumptions. This has resulted in an explanatory vacuum regarding the structure of psychopathology etiology, frequent symptom heterogeneity within disorders, and non-specificity of disorder symptoms. Current study sought to explore these limitations by testing emotion regulation difficulties as a functional transdiagnostic construct that underlie symptoms of anxiety- and mood-related disorders, using factor-mixture modeling. The results of the study indicated that the best fitting model of the structure of emotion regulation difficulties is a hybrid model, consisting of two categories and six factors. The class status differentially predicted experiences of anxiety- and mood-related disorders, even after controlling for education, age, and adverse life events. The dimensions of emotion regulation difficulties suggested that variations in the severity of psychopathology symptoms within the classes occurred based on six distinct factors, resulting in heterogeneity of symptoms within classes and comorbidity among symptoms of different disorders. Overall, the study results provide support for emotion regulation difficulties as a functional transdiagnostic construct across symptoms of psychopathology.
Recommended Citation
Sackey, Enoch, "Testing emotion regulation as a functional transdiagnostic construct" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2399.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2399
Concentration/Emphasis
Clinical Psychology