Rumination: Reflection Can Amplify the Depressogenic Effects of Brooding

Abstract

Despite their co-occurrence, little work has examined how the tendencies to brood and reflect can covary within individuals and interact to confer risk for depression. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted two prospective studies (study 1, n = 154; study 2, n = 205) to examine the interactive effect of reflection and brooding on future depressive symptoms in undergraduates. We hypothesized that when both are present in high levels, brooding and reflection will lead to greater levels of depressive symptoms than brooding alone. Consistent with the hypotheses, participants who reported both high levels of brooding and high levels of reflection tended to experience the greatest levels of future depressive symptoms after experiencing stress. The findings support the theoretical distinction between these constructs and may help to explain the inconsistent findings for the association between reflection and depression. However, the clinical implications of the amplifying effects of reflection are l...