Affective Self-Regulation and Mental Disorders: a Transdiagnostic Disposition in Psychopathology

Mental disorders are heterogeneous, expressed in dysfunction in more than one psychological and behavioral domain. Moreover, similar psychological and behavioral constructs are related to various mental disorders. Building on the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach, the transdiagnostic approach poses that a limited number of core processes relate to risk for a range of mental disorders, and may help explain comorbidity among disorders. Among these transdiagnostic processes is the ability to regulate affective states, reflected in tendencies to experience and express inapposite negative or positive emotions. Such tendencies may manifest differently in different populations (e.g., children vs. adults) and interact differently with other dispositions such as internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Nevertheless, the core construct will be the ability to regulate affective states.

The purpose of this Research Topic is to focus on manifestations of affective dysregulation, in children and adults, that are common to a broad range of mental disorders. Through this approach we would like to highlight the centrality of dysfunction in affective self- regulation as a core, transdiagnostic mechanism that merits specific focus in research and treatment. The goal is to underscore key psychological and/or behavioral tendencies that underlie disorders and maybe clear treatment targets, independent of the specific diagnosis.

We welcome Original studies and Reviews conducted with samples of youth, adults or the elderly describing the role of mental and/or behavioral dimensions that are not integral to psychiatric diagnosis, but nevertheless are key features of psychiatric disorders. We are interested, but not limited to, studies on:

·      Rumination;

·      Anxious arousal;

·      Sleep difficulty/insomnia;

·      Internalizing and externalizing problems;

·      Emotion (dys)regulation;

·      Sensory disruption (e.g., highly sensitive people);

·      Metabolic functioning (e.g., microbiome).