The Double-Edged Sword of Maladaptive Emotion Regulation: Cross-Diagnostic Mechanisms and Novel Pathways for Precision-Based Interventions

Maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, such as emotional suppression and rumination, appear to alleviate negative emotions in the short term but paradoxically worsen mental health over time, making them a critical focus in psychological research and clinical practice. This paper synthesizes multidisciplinary evidence to address four key questions: First, we clarify the classification criteria for maladaptive strategies and establish a dynamic evaluation framework to distinguish them from adaptive approaches. Second, we reveal how these strategies perpetuate cross-diagnostic mental disorders through three interacting mechanisms-cognitive control deficits such as impaired prefrontal cortex regulation, dysregulated limbic-prefrontal neural circuits, and self-reinforcing behavioral patterns. Third, we critically evaluate current interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness training, highlighting their limitations in developmental stage adaptability and cultural relevance, while underscoring the neglect of dynamic strategy shifts and cultural variations in existing research. Finally, we propose future research directions integrating longitudinal tracking, multimodal neuroimaging, and cross-cultural comparisons to identify high-risk populations and develop targeted preventive interventions. Emphasizing public health implications, this review advocates for early identification and precision-based interventions to reduce societal burdens, offering a comprehensive roadmap to advance both theoretical integration and practical applications in emotion regulation research.