Bi-factor model of repetitive thinking: Replication and extension

Abstract

Repetitive negative thinking, including worry and rumination, is considered a transdiagnostic process that contributes to the development and persistence of psychopathology. Recently, Castro et al. (2022) investigated how both repetitive negative thinking and more adaptive repetitive thinking may be related each other. They found evidence for a bi-factor structure of repetitive thinking with both shared variance in repetitive thinking and unique variance specific to each form of repetitive thinking, specifically worry, rumination, and reflection. The present study replicated this bi-factor structure of repetitive thinking in a younger sample from the Netherlands (N = 3906). Additionally, biological sex did not alter bi-factor structure fit. The present findings provide additional evidence of a bi-factor structure of repetitive thinking, and future work should continue to explore the clinical relevance of repetitive thinking and its distinct forms.