The interaction between clinically-elevated maladaptive personality traits and global emotion dysregulation elucidates individual differences in mood disorders: Findings from a non-Western clinical sample

Global emotion dysregulation is a known risk factor for mood disorders; however, less is known about individual differences in global emotion dysregulation in non-Western samples, and whether DSM-5 maladaptive personality traits and global emotion dysregulation interact to influence the severity and diagnosis of mood disorders. The present study aimed to elucidate the interactions between clinically-elevated negative affectivity and detachment traits and global emotion dysregulation dimensions among patients with mood disorders in a predominantly Chinese sample. A total of 200 patients with mood disorders (Mean age = 36.5 years; 54 % females; 77.5 % Chinese ethnicity) were assessed for DSM-5 maladaptive personality traits, global emotion dysregulation, depressive symptoms, and diagnosis of mood disorders. Clinically-elevated negative affectivity (31 %) and detachment (22 %) traits were significantly associated with global emotion dysregulation dimensions (ps < 0.005). Clinically-elevated negative affectivity and detachment traits interacted with poor emotional clarity on depressive symptoms, such that for patients with both clinically-elevated negative affectivity and detachment traits, poor emotional clarity was associated with increased severity of depressive symptoms. Overall, the present study provides preliminary evidence on the clinical utility of screening for maladaptive personality traits to understand pertinent individual differences in global emotion dysregulation and depressive psychopathology in a non-Western context.