Another area for future research on this integrative framework concerns testing bi-directional relations between the various predictors, mediators, moderators and outcomes depicted in Figure 2. Although this review has focused on uni-directional mediation paths from stress to general psychological processes to psychopathological outcomes, these relationships are likely to be reciprocal and dynamic in nature.4 For example, certain mediating characteristics (e.g., emotion dysregulation) influence the onset of psychopathology, which in turn creates more dysregulation, creating a cycle that exacerbates and maintains mental disorders following the initial exposure to stigma-related stressors.
