Domain Specificity of Gender Differences in Rumination

Abstract

Rumination, defined as repetitively focusing on the causes, meanings, and symptoms of depressed mood, has been associated with the onset, maintenance, and exacerbation of depression. Although several studies have identified gender differences in rumination, with females being more likely to ruminate than males, no study to date has examined whether gender differences in rumination vary across domains. The current study examined whether females may be more vulnerable to rumination in response to negative events in domains hypothesized to be particularly salient to females, such as interpersonal or body image domains. To this end, 259 undergraduates (148 females, 111 males) completed three different rumination questionnaires, one assessing rumination in response to “sad or depressed mood,” another assessing rumination in response to “stressful events,” and a third assessing rumination in response to a series of negative events in 3 separate domains: achievement, interpersonal, and body image/attractiveness. On all measures, females reported more rumination than males. The effect sizes for gender differences in rumination in response to depressed mood or stressful events, as well as the effect size for gender differences in rumination in response specifically to achievement events, were small. By contrast, effect sizes for gender differences in rumination in response specifically to negative interpersonal and body image events were in the moderate to large range. Results support the hypothesis that although females display an overall greater tendency than males to ruminate in response to negative events and depressed mood, gender differences in rumination may be particularly pronounced in the interpersonal and body image domains.