A Person-Oriented Approach to Social Anxiety and Depression: Latent Profiles and Emotional Functioning in Adults

Background: Symptoms of social anxiety and depression often co-occur, but many questions remain about symptom-level co-occurrence and the heterogeneity of symptom presentations across individuals, as well as their emotional functioning. Method: This study used a person-oriented approach, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), to identify distinct profiles (i.e., subgroups) in a UK adult sample (N = 222) varying in presentations of social anxiety and depressive symptoms. Further analyses examined between-profile differences in emotional functioning, including daily affect and emotion regulation. Results: Four profiles were identified: Comorbid, Dysphoric, Socially Anxious, and Low Distress, replicating the four-profile solution revealed in prior research on adolescents. The Comorbid subgroup reported the most pronounced emotional dysfunction, with higher daily negative affect, lower positive affect, and greater emotion dysregulation than the other three subgroups. The Low Distress subgroup reported the best emotional functioning. Limitations: The cross-sectional study design limits our ability to assess the stability of the identified profiles over time. Conclusion: Despite its limitations, this study sheds light on the varied ways social anxiety and depression co-occur, reinforcing the need for transdiagnostic interventions that address diverse symptom patterns and emotional functioning.