The influence of rumination and distraction on depressed and anxious mood: a prospective examination of the response styles theory in children and adolescents

Abstract

The present study sought to test predictions of the response styles theory in a sample of children and adolescents. More specifically, a ratio approach to response styles was utilized to examine the effects on residual change scores in depression and anxiety. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires including measures of rumination, distraction, depression, and anxiety at baseline (Time 1) and 8-10 weeks follow-up (Time 2). Results showed that the ratio score of rumination and distraction was significantly associated with depressed and anxious symptoms over time. More specifically, individuals who have a greater tendency to ruminate compared to distracting themselves have increases in depression and anxiety scores over time, whereas those who have a greater tendency to engage in distraction compared to rumination have decreases in depression and anxiety symptoms over time. These findings indicate that a ratio approach can be used to examine the relation between response styles and symptoms of depression and anxiety in non-clinical children and adolescents. Implications of the results may be that engaging in distractive activities should be promoted and that ruminative thinking should be targeted in juvenile depression treatment.

A Daily Diary Study of Co-Rumination, Stressful Life Events, and Depressed Mood in Late Adolescents

“…Research has consistently found a gender difference in rumination such that female participants ruminate more than male participants in both adolescent (e.g., Broderick, 1998;Jose & Brown, 2008) and adult (e.g., Butler & Nolen-Hoeksema, 1994;Nolen-Hoeksema, Morrow, & Fredrickson, 1993) samples. Specifically, adolescent research on rumination has shown that higher levels of rumination predict increased depressive symptoms, prospectively (Broderick & Korteland, 2004;Rood, Roelofs, Bogels, Nolen-Hoeksema, & Schouten, 2009;Schwartz & Koenig, 1996;Stone, Hankin, Gibb, & Abela, 2011) and also prolongs depression Roelofs et al, 2009). The same pattern of results holds true for both college (Butler & Nolen-Hoeksema, 1994;Grassia & Gibb, 2008;Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991;Nolen-Hoeksema et al, 1993) and adult samples (Nolen-Hoeksema, Larson, & Grayson, 1999).…”

School-Aged Children's Depressive Rumination is Associated with Their Reactivity to Sadness but not Fear

“…For example, in a study of young adolescents, rumination prospectively predicted both depressive and anxiety symptoms (Roelofs et al, 2009). This argument is consistent with a transdiagnostic framework (particularly one used for integrating depression and anxiety) and has the potential to guide treatment efforts aimed at enhancing emotion regulation (e.g., Ellard, Fairholme, Boisseau, Farchione, & Barlow, 2010).…”

Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes of a School-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Urban Youth

“…Rumination and intrusive thoughts are common correlates of both externalizing and internalizing problems, but particularly depression (Wadsworth et al 2005). Rumination has been linked prospectively to depressive and anxious symptoms in children and adolescents (Roelofs et al 2009), and it was found to mediate the relation between female gender and risk for depressive symptoms in low-income, urban, African American youth (Grant et al 2004). Consequently, identification and modification of these involuntary responses may be particularly important components of interventions for at-risk youth (Wadsworth et al 2005).…”