Distress tolerance and symptoms of depression: A review and integration of literatures
Abstract
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 is an important transdiagnostic factor underlying emotional disorders.
“Distress tolerance (DT) is an important transdiagnostic factor underlying emotional disorders (e.g., Lass & Winer, 2020; Michel et al., 2016).”
From Distress tolerance as a mediator of mindfulness-based intervention for anxiety and depression: Evidence from two randomized controlled trials (2024) · cites this paper as Lass & Winer, 2020
The finding aligns with previous studies that have identified DT as a crucial transdiagnostic factor in anxiety and depression.
“This finding aligns with previous studies that have identified DT, a skill that can be enhanced through MBIs (Kraemer et al., 2020), as a crucial transdiagnostic factor in anxiety and depression (e.g., Lass & Winer, 2020; Michel et al., 2016).”
From Distress tolerance as a mediator of mindfulness-based intervention for anxiety and depression: Evidence from two randomized controlled trials (2024) · cites this paper as Lass & Winer, 2020
Low distress tolerance significantly predicts the use of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, including suppression of emotions, avoidance, rumination and substance abuse.
“studies have shown that low distress tolerance significantly predicts the use of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, including the suppression of emotions, avoidance, rumination and substance abuse”
From The Factorial Structure, Psychometric Properties and Sensitivity to Change of the Distress Tolerance Scale for Children with Emotional Disorders. (2024) · cites this paper as [14]
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- Authors
- Lass, A. N. S., & Winer, E. S.
- Affiliations
- Mississippi State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lass, Alisson N. S.
- Venue
- Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice
- Published
- 2020-04-15
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 3
- ISSN
- 0969-5893 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2850
- OpenAlex
- W3016434401
- Cited by
- 62
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4
- FWCI
- 7.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Clinical Psychology Science and Practice (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- distress tolerance, depressive symptoms, transdiagnostic risk factors, psychopathology, theoretical integration
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