Self-discrepancy theory (SDT) is a model of the relations between the self and affect which has been applied to the study of different types of psychopathology including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Although the theory itself is compatible with a transdiagnostic perspective on psychopathology, to date no systematic review of the literature has examined that possibility. We conducted a meta-analysis that synthesized the literature on self-discrepancy and psychopathology across a heterogeneous range of 70 studies. Results showed a small-to-medium association between self-discrepancy and psychopathology that was highly robust and similar in magnitude across domains. Furthermore, self-discrepancy was related to higher levels of a range of negative emotions and lower levels of a range of positive emotions. Meta-regression models showed that the effects were greater for actual:ideal discrepancy compared with actual:ought discrepancy for both depression and anxiety, which was contrary to the tenets of SDT which suggests specific associations between actual:ideal discrepancy and depression and actual:ought discrepancy and anxiety. Measurement type (i.e., idiographic vs. nomothetic) was a significant predictor of the effects for depression and anxiety, such that nomothetic measures evidenced greater associations compared with idiographic measures. Our findings could suggest that self-discrepancy represents a contributory factor related to a number of psychiatric disorders. However, the tenet of SDT suggesting unique associations between actual:ideal and actual:ought discrepancy and anxiety and depression respectively was not supported. Implications are discussed for future research on self-discrepancy and psychopathology including the study of mechanistic frameworks.

Distress tolerance has emerged as a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology but has received little theoretical attention in the depression literature. Evidence strongly suggests that individuals who have trouble tolerating distress display greater symptoms of depression, however. The lack of overlap between literatures is an important oversight, as the depression literature provides unique perspectives that have yet to be addressed in the distress tolerance literature. The current review thus (1) integrates findings from different literatures on distress tolerance and symptoms of depression, (2) discusses how this synthesis can inform clinical science and burgeoning distress tolerance treatments, (3) outlines important gaps in the distress tolerance and depression literatures, and (4) describes how they may be addressed by incorporating recent theoretical advances.

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Distress tolerance has emerged as a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology but has received little theoretical attention in the depression literature. Evidence strongly suggests that individuals who have trouble tolerating distress display greater symptoms of depression, however. The lack of overlap between literatures is an important oversight, as the depression literature provides unique perspectives that have yet to be addressed in the distress tolerance literature. The current review thus (1) integrates findings from different literatures on distress tolerance and symptoms of depression, (2) discusses how this synthesis can inform clinical science and burgeoning distress tolerance treatments, (3) outlines important gaps in the distress tolerance and depression literatures, and (4) describes how they may be addressed by incorporating recent theoretical advances.

Objective: Components of rumination, including brooding and reflection, as well as devaluating prospective positivity, may help maintain depressive symptoms. We examined these components together for the first time using network analysis. Methods: We examined the robustness of rumination communities of closely related items in one network and then examined the interrelationships between rumination communities, devaluation of positivity, and depression, in a second network. Results: Three rumination communities emerged, replicating findings of Bernstein et al. (2019). Within a dense network, nodes representing brooding, reflective pondering, and difficulty trusting positive feelings were most influential. In addition, the node representing the depressive symptom negative self-views shared strong edges with nodes representing devaluation of positivity and brooding. Conclusion: Brooding, reflective pondering, and elements of devaluing positivity are influential to depressive symptoms and may be important future experimental and therapeutic targets. Depressed individuals with negative self-views may engage in brooding and devalue their experience of positivity.