Repetitive Negative Thinking as a Central Node Between Psychopathological Domains: a Network Analysis

Abstract

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) may be defined as a reiterative, passive and uncontrollable thinking process. RNT has been recognized as a transdiagnostic phenomenon associated with the onset and maintenance of several clinical conditions including depression, generalised anxiety, psychosis and insomnia. We aimed to estimate a network model of mutual associations between RNT and the aforementioned indicators whilst controlling for other well-established transdiagnostic factors (i.e. perceived stress, loneliness). A total of 324 participants (Mage = 25.26 years, SD = 6.89; 69.3% females) completed a cross-sectional survey of self-report questionnaires. A Gaussian graphical model was estimated using the graphical LASSO in combination with the extended Bayesian information criterion. We found a dense network in which RNT exhibited substantial connections with the majority of the psychopathological domains. The centrality indices confirmed that RNT was one of the most important nodes in the network. Moreover, the estimated network showed satisfactory accuracy and stability. Findings emphasized RNT as a potentially good therapeutic target for psychopathology prevention and treatment protocols.