Rumination, negative cognition, and their interactive effects on depressed mood.

TLDR

Response styles theory suggests rumination is a trait vulnerability to depression, and recent evidence indicates it predicts depression changes more strongly when negative cognition is high. Three studies tested the interactive vulnerability model, with two laboratory experiments assigning participants to ruminate or distract after a sad mood induction. The studies show that rumination and negative cognition interact to amplify dysphoria, with rumination more strongly linked to dysphoria when negative cognition is high, supporting an interactive vulnerability model.

Abstract

Response styles theory posits that rumination represents a trait vulnerability to depression. Recent evidence has suggested that rumination predicts changes in depression more strongly among individuals with high levels of negative cognition. Three studies evaluated this model of interactive vulnerabilities. Study 1 provided empirical support for the distinction between rumination and negative cognitive content. The next 2 studies investigated the interactive model in the laboratory. Study 2 randomly assigned participants to either ruminate or distract following a sad mood induction. This study found that rumination was more strongly associated with dysphoria among individuals who report high levels of negative cognition. Similarly, Study 3 found that rumination and negative cognition interact to predict changes in dysphoria across a no-task delay period following a sad mood induction. These studies provide support for an interactive model in which rumination amplifies the deleterious effects of negative cognition.