Rumination, emotional intensity and emotional clarity

It has been suggested that a high tendency to ruminate presents a deficient emotion regulation. Past research found that people with high tendency to ruminate show sustained attention for negative stimuli and increased negative thinking, which may result in intensified experiences of negative emotions. Moreover, high level of rumination was associated with low emotional understanding. Accordingly, we hypothesized (1) high ruminators (HR) experience more intense emotional reactions than low ruminators (LR) for negative but not positive emotions, (2) LR have higher emotional clarity than HR, and (3) there would be the same pattern of results for brooding but not for reflective pondering. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, a rumination response style questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. They also rated emotional intensity and identified emotion type for scene pictures from the CAP-D (Categorized Affective Pictures Database). The highest (HR) and lowest (LR) quarters of ruminators were compared on levels of emotional intensity and emotional clarity. We found HR experienced negative emotions more intensely than LR, with no difference for positive emotions. In contrast to our hypothesis, the two groups did not differ in their emotion understanding. This pattern of results was found for brooding but not for reflective pondering. Our research sheds light on the mechanism underlying rumination and emotion regulation.

The Double-Edged Sword of Reflective Pondering: The Role of State and Trait Reflective Pondering in Predicting Depressive Symptoms Among Women With Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Prior research has debated whether reflective pondering is a more constructive form of rumination than brooding, which is generally considered maladaptive. This study sought to investigate whether reflective pondering predicts depressive symptoms and whether reflective pondering is adaptive under certain conditions. We predicted that the effectiveness of reflective pondering could depend on concurrent coping strategies and the trait-state distinction.

METHOD

Women with breast cancer (N = 309; M age = 47.5) were assessed at four waves over 2 years. A time-lagged design was applied, with rumination (i.e., brooding and reflective pondering) and coping (i.e., engagement and disengagement) measured from T1 to T3, predicting depressive symptoms assessed from T2 to T4. These variables were measured by the Ruminative Response Scale, the Brief COPE, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

RESULTS

Using hierarchical linear modeling, brooding, but not reflective pondering, predicted elevated depressive symptoms at both between- and within-person levels. The relationship between reflective pondering and depression was moderated by the coping strategies. Individual differences in reflective pondering predicted worse depressive symptoms, but higher use of engagement coping mitigated the detrimental effect. Within individuals, the co-occurrence of reflective pondering and disengagement coping predicted a subsequent decrease in depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The emerging role of reflective pondering in the face of breast cancer-related stress appears to be a double-edged sword. Its impact on depression may depend on concurrent coping strategies and whether reflective pondering is assessed at state and trait levels.

Reflective pondering is associated with executive control for emotional information: An adolescent prospective study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

In adult populations, rumination and executive control impairments have been highlighted as vulnerability factors for later depression and rumination as a whole construct has recently been linked to lower executive control. However, research with adolescent populations is limited and little is known developmentally of the association between rumination and executive control. A prospective design was used to investigate the relationship between brooding rumination and reflective pondering and executive control for emotional and non-emotional material in adolescence, whilst controlling for the effects of depression and anxiety symptoms.

METHODS

The present study examined the relationship between the subcomponents of rumination and executive control for emotional and non-emotional information, within an adolescent development. A total of 149 adolescents (13-16 years) were tested at two time points, approximately six months between sessions. At each time point, participants completed a computerised, valenced measure of executive control and measures of brooding rumination, reflective pondering, depression symptoms and anxiety symptoms.

RESULTS

Findings indicate that reflective pondering was predictive of greater executive control for processing emotional information over time. Contrary to research with adults, brooding rumination was not associated with executive control.

LIMITATIONS

This study, conducted across two time points 6 months apart, awaits confirmation from further research across multiple time points and different intervals.

CONCLUSIONS

Reflective pondering may act as a protective factor against later impairment in executive control.