The mechanism of executive dysfunction in depressive symptoms: the role of emotion regulation strategies

Abstract

Cognitive vulnerability may be a useful predictor of depression, and difficulty in emotion regulation is considered to be a core symptom of depression. The current study aims to examine the role of individual differences in executive dysfunction that predict depressive symptoms and the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies. A total of 1017 Chinese college students (84.0% females, Mage = 20.25) completed the Dysexecutive Questionnaire, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Self-Rating Depression Scale. The results show that (1) executive dysfunction, depressive symptoms, and emotion regulation are significantly correlated, and (2) executive dysfunction has a significant direct effect on depressive symptoms and significant indirect effects on depressive symptoms through reappraisal and expressive suppression. These findings provide new insights into pathways from executive function to depressive symptoms through different emotion regulation strategies, suggesting novel treatment approaches.