Emotional conceptual structures in high depression and anxiety: Combining low-dimensional and network models

Emotional differentiation-the ability to distinguish between distinct emotions-has been identified as a protective factor against psychopathology, yet most research has focused on experiential-level differentiation with limited understanding of how depression and anxiety relate to the conceptual structure of emotion knowledge. We conducted two complementary studies. Study 1 (N = 1,311, aged 8-25, collected during 2023) used similarity and transition probability ratings to construct low-dimensional spaces (via INdividual Differences SCALing) and network models, examining associations with self-reported levels of depression and anxiety symptoms. To examine these findings with a different sample, Study 2 (N = 88, aged 18-23, collected during 2022) combined 14-day experience sampling with pre-post semantic similarity assessments, testing whether daily emotional covariation patterns relate to changes in conceptual structure and symptom levels. Study 1 revealed that higher symptoms were associated with reduced differentiation in low-dimensional emotion space (lower weight in Dimension 1), denser similarity networks (e.g., reflected by shorter path lengths), and increased transition probabilities. Study 2 replicated these patterns and demonstrated plasticity in semantic emotion networks: Participants showed decreased Dimension 1 weight and looser network organization over time. More extensive emotional covariation predicted increased Dimension 1 weight, which mediated relationships with depressive symptom changes; however, this effect was abolished after controlling for baseline Beck's Depression Inventory. Depression was associated with rigid, congruent covariation patterns, while anxiety was linked to unstable, incongruent patterns. These findings suggest depression and anxiety are characterized by compressed, less differentiated emotion concept structures, offering insights for targeted interventions enhancing emotional health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).