A transdiagnostic evaluation of contrast avoidance across generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and social anxiety disorder

•Tested theories on the transdiagnostic nature of contrast avoidance across three disorders•We tested those with and without probable generalized anxiety disorder (GAD, social anxiety disorder (SAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD)•Probable GAD, SAD, and MDD vs. controls scored significantly higher on the Contrast Avoidance Questionnaire-General Emotion scale (CAQ-GE)•Area under the curve, a test of predictive accuracy for the CAQ-GE, was 0.81, 0.87, and 0.83 for predicting probable GAD, MDD, and SAD, respectively.•A cutoff score of 48.5 optimized predictive accuracy for probable GAD and SAD and 50.5 opimized predictive accuracy for probable MDD•Sensitivity to and avoidance of a negative emotional contrast appears to be a transdiagnostic feature of GAD, MDD, and SAD.