Unraveling the transdiagnostic nature of emotion regulation difficulties in psychopathology: A hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology (HiTOP) perspective

Emotion regulation (ER) is a fundamental mechanism implicated in the development, maintenance, and treatment of various mental health disorders. Despite its transdiagnostic relevance, our understanding of the breadth and specificity of ER difficulties across mental disorders is still limited. This gap stems largely from research traditions that adopt single-disorder approaches, often overlooking high comorbidity rates, substantial symptom heterogeneity, and overlapping features across diagnostic boundaries. To address this gap, this paper proposes integrating the Extended Process Model (EPM) of emotion regulation with the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP). We start by introducing the foundational concepts of the EPM and HiTOP. We then outline how ER processes, as delineated by the EPM, could map onto the dimensional and hierarchical structure of psychopathology described by HiTOP. We discuss the clinical implications of this integrated approach, along with key challenges and practical considerations for future research in this field.