Cited by 91Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentPersonality Disorders and PsychopathologyMental Health Research Topics

Low emotional awareness as a transdiagnostic mechanism underlying psychopathology in adolescence

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Weissman, David G., Nook, Erik C., Dews, Aridenne A., Miller, Adam Bryant, Lambert, Hilary K., Sasse, Stephanie F., Somerville, Leah H., McLaughlin, Katie A.·2020·Clinical Psychological Science

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Abstract

The ability to identify and label one's emotions is associated with effective emotion regulation, rendering emotional awareness important for mental health. We evaluated how emotional awareness was related to psychopathology and whether low emotional awareness was a transdiagnostic mechanism explaining the increase in psychopathology during the transition to adolescence and as a function of childhood trauma-specifically violence exposure. In Study 1, children and adolescents (N=120, aged 7-19 years) reported on emotional awareness and psychopathology. Emotional awareness was negatively associated with psychopathology (p-factor) and worsened across age in females but not males. In Study 2 (N=262, aged 8-16 years), we replicated these findings and demonstrated longitudinally that low emotional awareness mediated increases in p-factor as a function of age in females and violence exposure. These findings indicate that low emotional awareness may be a transdiagnostic mechanism linking adolescent development, sex, and trauma with the emergence of psychopathology.

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  • A recent study linked alexithymia to a range of self-reported psychopathological symptoms in a community sample of children and adolescents.

    “Indeed, a recent study linked alexithymia to a range of self-reported psychopathological symptoms in a community sample of children and adolescents (Weissman et al., 2020).”

    From Atypical interoception as a common risk factor for psychopathology: A review (2021) · cites this paper as Weissman et al., 2020

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  1. McLaughlin KA, Aldao A, Wisco BE, & Hilt LM (2014b). Rumination as a transdiagnostic factor underlying transitions between internalizing symptoms and aggressive behavior in early adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 10.1037/a0035358 PMC4222508 24661155 · DOI · Paper page
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  4. Nook EC, Sasse SF, Lambert HK, McLaughlin KA, & Somerville LH (2018b). The nonlinear development of emotion differentiation: Granular emotional experience Is low in adolescence. Psychological Science, 29(8), 1346– 1357. 10.1177/0956797618773357 29878880 PMC6088506 · DOI · Paper page
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Authors
Weissman, D. G., Nook, E. C., Dews, A. A., Miller, A. B., Lambert, H. K., Sasse, S. F., Somerville, L. H., & McLaughlin, K. A.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
  • University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Weissman, David G.
Venue
Clinical Psychological Science
Published
2020-07-22
Volume
8
Issue
6
Pages
971-988
ISSN
  • 2167-7026 (ISSN-L)
  • 2167-7034
OpenAlex
W3044716771
Cited by
91
References
117
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 4
FWCI
4.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Clinical Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
  • PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (K01-MH116325, R01-MH10329)
  • Jacobs Foundation
  • OneMind Institute
  • National Science Foundation (DGE1144152)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
Keywords
emotional awareness, emotion regulation, transdiagnostic mechanisms, adolescent psychopathology, childhood trauma, violence exposure, sex differences, adolescence, p-factor, mediation, transition to adolescence

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