The diathesis-stress model of psychopathology was put forward in 1960s-1970s, which was the most influential model in half past century, however, the relationship between diathesis and stress, the interactive paths, and the psychophysiological mechanisms of causing-disease were not mentioned in this model. By integrating the relevant research, and based on the system theory, cybernetics, the bio-psychological-social model and positive psychology, the author put forward a new diathesis-stress model. The diathesis-stress reciprocal moderation and mediation model conceptualized diathesis as a set of physical and psychological traits which formed based on heredity and shaped by interaction of heredity and environment.
Diathesis can be classified into health diathesis and vulnerable diathesis by different effects on health and diseases. Stressors include the natural environmental agents (bodily stressors) and psychosocial environmental agents (psychosocial stressors). The physiological/psychological response and coping not only is the results of interaction between stressors and diatheses, but also is the mediator which leads to health or disease consequences. Cognitive-appraisal can be the important mediator among the psychosocial stressors, stress response and coping behavior. Psychological traits (belief, value, self-concept and personality traits) can affect one’s appraisal for psychosocial stressors.
Coping resource and social support could be the moderators between psychosocial stressors and health/disease consequence. The reciprocal moderation and mediation between traits and stressors can result in different consequence, including adaptation and healthy growing, sub-healthy situation, mental disorder and psychophysiological disease. The different health-disease consequence can affect physical/psychological traits loading from feedback loop, and disease consequence may become the new stressor which aggravates the original stress response. The diathesis stress reciprocal moderation and mediation model is not only used for explaining mental disorder and psychophysiological disease, but also understanding the different situation from health to disease.