Transdiagnostic Factors and the Diathesis-Stress Model

Learning Objectives:
Critically evaluate the role of a diathesis (predispositional vulnerability) to psychopathology
Critically evaluate the theory that a specific transdiagnostic factor contributes to psychological development
Synthesize the hypothesis that a transdiagnostic factor can serve as a diathesis to the development of a specific mental disorder
Reflect on how you might incorporate and apply the diathesis stress model and the transdiagnostic factors perspective into your future practice as a counsellor.
Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate a conceptual understanding of how transdiagnostic factors can serve as diatheses to the development of psychopathology.
Instructions
Your task is to apply one of three transdiagnostic factors – temperament, attachment, or emotional regulation – as a presumptive diathesis to one specific mental illness.
Review the three articles below. Then, choose one of them as the key source for your paper
Temperament: Rothbart, M. K. (2015). The role of temperament in conceptualizations of mental disorder. In Critical thinking in clinical assessment and diagnosis (pp. 133-149). Springer International Publishing. https://www(dot)researchgate(dot)net/publication/283469726_The_Role_of_Temperament_in_Conceptualizations_of_Mental_Disorder
Attachment: Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2012). An attachment perspective on psychopathology. World Psychiatry, 11(1), 11-15. https://www(dot)ncbi(dot)nlm(dot)nih(dot)gov/pmc/articles/PMC3266769/
Emotion Regulation: Sheppes, G., Suri, G., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation and psychopathology. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 379-405. http://people(dot)socsci(dot)tau(dot)ac(dot)il/mu/galsheppes/files/2014/10/Sheppes-Suri-Gross-2015-Annual-Review.pdf
Choose a specific disorder from among the array of DSM-5 disorders, and, choose one of the three transdiagnostic factors to examine as a possible diathesis for that disorder. You may select any mental disorder (e.g., GAD, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, anti-social personality disorder, PTSD, substance use disorder, etc.) and you may select any one of the three transdiagnostic factors (i.e., temperament, attachment, emotional regulation).
For example, you might consider the transdiagnostic factor of attachment as a diathesis in the etiology of borderline personality disorder. Or, you might address how the transdiagnostic factor of emotional regulation can serve as a diathesis in the development of a panic disorder. Alternatively, you might explore the transdiagnostic factor of temperament as a diathesis in the etiology of depression. And so on.
Any oe of these three transdiagnostic factors – temperament, attachment, and emotional regulation – can potentiate, as a presumptive diathesis, multiple mental disorders.
In section one (75% of the body of the paper), you should address the theoretical basis of how the transdiagnostic factor you selected can predispose someone to the specific disorder you are researching. Remember that this is not a paper about the treatment of the disorder; address only the etiological developmental path.
Begin your paper with a brief introduction (one paragraph) that describes the “problem” (i.e., theme, topic, issue, concern, etc.) you will address, and be sure to state the purpose of your paper (e.g., “The purpose of the present paper is…” or “In this paper, I examine…” or “Attachment is examined as a…”). Next, present a brief overview of one of the diathesis-stress models we have studied in this course (e.g., Barlow’s triple vulnerability theory or Fairburn’s CBT-E model). Be sure to explain the role of a diathesis as a significant predispositional vulnerability to psychopathology.
Next, present a brief overview of the specific transdiagnostic factor you have selected (i.e., temperament, attachment, or emotional regulation). Describe the nature of the factor and explain its role in psychological development.
Next, present a brief overview of the specific disorder you have selected. Describe the nature of the disorder, summarize the symptoms and diagnostic criteria, and other relevant information. Do not list symptoms in a tabular format and do not copy, verbatim, DSM-5 content. Rather, provide your own narrative summary of the disorder you have chosen to study.
Then, explore in depth how the transdiagnostic factor can serve, etiologically, as a diathesis (predispositional vulnerability) to the development of the specific mental disorder you have chosen to examine.
Section two (25% of the body) comprises a (first-person, singular) personal reflection addressing how you might incorporate and apply the knowledge from Section one into your future practice as a counsellor. Keep in mind that this section is only about 400-500 words, so you will need to be selective and concise.
Finally, add a very brief conclusion/summary (one paragraph) of your work on this assignment.
Lastly, provide an APA-styled list of references that you used and cited for this paper.