Exploring the Association between Psychopathology and the Multicomponent Nature of Cognitive Reappraisal: The Case of Major Depressive Disorder

Cognitive reappraisal (CR) is often treated as a unitary emotion regulation strategy, yet theoretical models distinguish CR tendency, the habitual use of CR in everyday life, from CR capacity, the ability to generate and implement reinterpretations successfully. This study tested a multicomponent framework of CR and examined whether Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is associated with selective impairments in specific CR components. Forty-four participants, including 23 individuals with MDD and 21 healthy controls, completed a self-report measure of CR tendency and a laboratory-based CR task involving reinterpretation of negatively valenced images and depression-relevant semantic phrases. CR generation was indexed by Beginning Delay, Quantity, and Quality; CR implementation was indexed by Efficacy, the reduction in negative emotion ratings following reappraisal. CFA supported a multicomponent structure comprising CR generation, implementation, and tendency; within generation, quality and quantity loaded strongly, whereas initiation speed loaded weakly. Exploratory analyses indicated initiation speed was not significantly associated with quality or quantity, suggesting separability between initiation and generative performance. Individuals with MDD showed significant deficits across all generation metrics: slower initiation (g = 1.26), lower quantity (g = -1.20), and reduced quality (g = -1.70), but no significant differences in implementation or tendency. These findings suggest MDD involves selective impairment in reappraisal generation rather than generalized CR deficits, highlighting CR generation as a promising intervention target.