Stressing emotions : A single subject design study testing an emotion-focused transdiagnostic treatment for stress-related ill health

Abstract:

 Abstract 

Individual psychological factors have been recognized to play an important role in the development of stress-related symptomatology. Despite extensive comorbidity between stress-related ill health and mood disorders, the advances in research on emotion regulation and transdiagnostics, have not been recognized in stress research to any considerable degree. In the current study, using a single subject design with multiple baselines across individuals (n=6), a transdiagnostic treatment intervention targeting maladaptive emotional regulation strategies was implemented on patients suffering from stress-related symptomatology. Results show that symptoms of exhaustion decreased in five of six participants on post-measures, with considerable convergence between measures of depression, anxiety and stress. Further investigation of treatment effects, alongside the processes linking emotion regulation and stress-related symptomatology are needed.