Repetitive Negative Thinking Research Articles

The role of early adversity and cognitive vulnerability in postnatal stress and depression

The purpose of the present study was to examine vulnerability factors in expecting parents that might lead to mental illness in the perinatal period. Specifically, we studied how parental early adversity, attentional bias to infant faces, repetitive negative thinking, and demographic factors, were associated with pre- and postnatal depressive symptoms and parenting stress. Participants were expecting parents taking part in the Northern Babies Longitudinal Study, where assessments were made both pre- and postnatally. Assessments included both questionnaires and cognitive tasks. About half of the participants received the Newborn Behavior Observation (NBO)-intervention after birth, between pre- and postnatal assessments. Results show that repetitive negative thinking was a significant predictor of both depressive symptoms and parenting stress, while education, social support, and parity came out as protective factors, especially in mothers. Parental early adversity had an indirect effect on postnatal depressive symptoms and parenting stress, mediated by prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms, respectively. The NBO intervention did not affect the results, signifying the importance of early childhood adverse events and negative thinking on parents' postnatal adjustment and mood, even when an intervention is provided. In conclusion, repetitive negative thinking is a significant vulnerability factor independent of the presence of depressive symptoms, and health professionals must be aware of parents’ thinking style both during pregnancy and after birth.

Dispositional mindfulness is associated with less cognitive fusion and better effortful control in young people: The mediating role of repetitive negative thinking

Introduction: The scientific community is taking an increasing interest in mindfulness due to its positive association with physical and psychological health indicators. However, there is still ongoing debate as to whether there could be other explanations for these effects. Aim: This study explores the relationships between dispositional mindfulness, cognitive fusion, effortful control and repetitive negative thinking (RNT). RNT was chosen as a potential mediating variable due to its presence in multiple psychological disorders. Method: A mediation analysis was performed using the bootstrap method with 5000 replications on data collected from a non-clinical sample of 415 young adults who completed a battery of online questionnaires. Results: Dispositional mindfulness is negatively associated with measures of RNT, effortful control and cognitive fusion. The analyses indicate that the effect that dispositional mindfulness has on cognitive fusion in young people can be partially mediated with medium effect size by RNT. Conclusion: RNT may play a central role as an underlying process in the link between mindfulness and different psychological aspects.

The Association Between Salivary FGF2 and Physiological and Psychological Components of the Human Stress Response

Background Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2) is a neurotrophic protein that has been implicated as a biomarker for anxiety and depressive disorders, which comprise a significant component of the global burden of disease. Research using rodents has indicated that FGF2 is part of the stress response, but whether this translates to humans has yet to be investigated. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential role of FGF2 in the human stress response by examining its association with physiological and psychological processes during and following the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Methods Participants in the active stress experiment (N = 87) underwent the TSST, provided saliva samples to obtain levels of cortisol and FGF2, and reported on post-event rumination related to the TSST task over the following week. Participants in the no-stress experiment (N = 25) provided saliva samples for measurement of FGF2 and cortisol across a corresponding time period. Results Salivary FGF2 levels changed after the TSST and were associated with the pattern of change in salivary cortisol. Cortisol responses in the active stress condition were blunted in females (relative to males), however, sex did not interact with any other effect. FGF2 reactivity (ie, the magnitude of change over time) was not correlated with cortisol reactivity. Lower FGF2 reactivity following the TSST, but not overall FGF2 levels, or cortisol, was associated with higher fear of negative evaluation, repetitive negative thinking and post-event processing, as well as repetitive negative thinking in the week following the TSST. Participants in the no-stress experiment showed a decrease in cortisol, yet no change in their FGF2 levels. Conclusion These findings suggest that FGF2 is involved in the human stress response and higher levels of FGF2 reactivity may be associated with protective cognitive processes following stress exposure.

Limited negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health measures of Ghanaian university students.

BackgroundStress and mental health outcomes are negatively correlated among university students throughout the world. Reports of differences in stress perception by gender exist, but there is limited data on students from sub-Saharan African countries. This study describes the burden of perceived and financial stress; characterizes mood and degree of anxiety symptoms; examines stress coping mechanisms, including resilience and repetitive negative thinking (RNT); and explores how students at a Ghanaian university believed the COVID-19 pandemic affected these measures.MethodsStudents (n = 129) were recruited from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana from October 2020 - January 2021. Validated surveys were used. Participants were asked “Are your answers to the questions affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?”ResultsNo differences in mean scores were observed between genders. For female students, financial stress was positively associated with RNT (p = 0.009), negative mood (p = 0.002), and anxiety (p < 0.001). Males were more likely to report decreased stress during the pandemic (p = 0.002), but there was no difference in mental health outcomes by perceived stress (PS) change category among males. Effects of the pandemic on mental health outcomes were mixed, but substantial proportions of students reported improvements or no change in financial stress, mood, anxiety, and RNT.LimitationsStudents from one university particiapted in this cross-sectional survey.ConclusionsThis study adds to the understanding of how higher education students are experiencing stress and are coping with the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

A thalamo-centric neural signature for restructuring negative self-beliefs

Negative self-beliefs are a core feature of psychopathology. Despite this, we have a limited understanding of the brain mechanisms by which negative self-beliefs are cognitively restructured. Using a novel paradigm, we had participants use Socratic questioning techniques to restructure negative beliefs during ultra-high resolution 7-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (UHF 7 T fMRI) scanning. Cognitive restructuring elicited prominent activation in a fronto-striato-thalamic circuit, including the mediodorsal thalamus (MD), a group of deep subcortical nuclei believed to synchronize and integrate prefrontal cortex activity, but which has seldom been directly examined with fMRI due to its small size. Increased activity was also identified in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), a region consistently activated by internally focused mental processing, as well as in lateral prefrontal regions associated with regulating emotional reactivity. Using Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM), evidence was found to support the MD as having a strong excitatory effect on the activity of regions within the broader network mediating cognitive restructuring. Moreover, the degree to which participants modulated MPFC-to-MD effective connectivity during cognitive restructuring predicted their individual tendency to engage in repetitive negative thinking. Our findings represent a major shift from a cortico-centric framework of cognition and provide important mechanistic insights into how the MD facilitates key processes in cognitive interventions for common psychiatric disorders. In addition to relaying integrative information across basal ganglia and the cortex, we propose a multifaceted role for the MD whose broad excitatory pathways act to increase synchrony between cortical regions to sustain complex mental representations, including the self.

Development of the Inability to Switch off from Work Scale

The “inability to switch off from work” — thinking about work during personal lives — is one of the barriers to work-life balance. However, there is a lack of empirical research on the factors, and effective ways to support work-life balance have not been clarified because there is no scale to measure it. This study’s purpose is to develop the “Inability to Switch off from Work Scale.” We conducted a cross-sectional survey and obtained data from 416 full-time employees. The results of factor analysis indicated a three-factor structure consisting of “emotional recall” (α = .89), “work ability pessimism” (α = .94), and “problem solving” (α = .90). There were significant correlations with mental health problems and related concepts: psychological detachment and repetitive negative thinking. The partial correlation with mental health problems was observed even when related concepts were controlled. Furthermore, the results supported the hypothesis about the mediation effects of the “inability to switch off,” between workload and mental health problems. In general, the results support the reliability and construct validity of the new scale.

Руминации как психологический механизм формирования и поддержания суицидального поведения

The role of rumination in formation and maintenance of suicidal thoughts (ST) and suicidal behavior (SB) is specified in the article. In leading foreign models SB is considered to be the process of phase restructuring and the resultant intersection of factors (Joiner's interpersonal theory, O'Connor's motivational-volitional model, Klonsky's three-step model). Analysis of traditional SB models shows insufficient consideration of metacognitive system-dynamic phenomena, which may explain the limitations of predictive theories, especially in relation to adolescents. Ruminations as one of such phenomena are designated as a component of the process of repetitive negative thinking, which intensifies the experience of problems insolubility and sets the basis for comprehension of suicide as a potential way to “complete” the situation. The typologies of ruminations and the contribution of each subtype to the maintenance of ST, SB are considered: 1) ruminations as a trait and a state; 2) brooding ruminations and reflection; 3) pre- and post-event ruminations. The interrelation of rumination and insomnia in the form of interdependent cycle of accumulation of undischarged psychophysiological tension in the context of SB formation is demonstrated. Russian psychology employs the methodology of the cultural and activity approach to explain the formation of SB, and analyzes the motives of personality and the possibility of their implementation, taking into account the systems of mediation and regulation of mental activity and the laws of ontogenesis. The role of metacognitive dysregulation of social anxiety in the formation of SB in adolescence is shown. The significance of the dynamic mechanism of SB provoking accumulation of tension outside the situation and contributing to self-reinforcement of symptoms is underlined.

Supplemental Material for Which Features of Repetitive Negative Thinking and Positive Reappraisal Predict Depression? An In-Depth Investigation Using Artificial Neural Networks With Feature Selection

Supplemental Material for Which Features of Repetitive Negative Thinking and Positive Reappraisal Predict Depression? An In-Depth Investigation Using Artificial Neural Networks With Feature Selection

From low sense of control to problematic smartphone use severity during Covid-19 outbreak: The mediating role of fear of missing out and the moderating role of repetitive negative thinking.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the use of digital devices, especially smartphones, remarkably increased. Smartphone use belongs to one’s daily routine, but can negatively impact physical and mental health, performance, and relationships if used excessively. The present study aimed to investigate potential correlates of problematic smartphone use (PSU) severity and the mechanisms underlying its development. Data of 516 smartphone users from Germany (Mage = 31.91, SDage = 12.96) were assessed via online surveys in April and May 2021. PSU severity was significantly negatively associated with sense of control. In contrast, it was significantly positively linked to fear of missing out (FoMO), repetitive negative thinking (RNT), and daily time spent on smartphone use. In a moderated mediation analysis, the negative relationship between sense of control and PSU severity was significantly mediated by FoMO. RNT significantly moderated the positive association between FoMO and PSU severity. Specifically, the higher the RNT, the stronger the relationship between FoMO and PSU. The present findings disclose potential mechanisms that could contribute to PSU. Potential ways of how to reduce PSU severity are discussed.

Treatment experiences during a cognitive behaviour therapy group intervention targeting repetitive negative thinking: A qualitative study.

Treatment of repetitive negative thinking (RNT) focuses rather on individual than group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) treatment. Additionally, little is known on how clients experienced these interventions. This study investigates clients' experiences on participating in a CBT group intervention targeting RNT (RNT-G). Of the 80 participants, 11 were randomly selected for an in-depth, semi-structured interview after treatment. Interviews focused on what participants experienced as important on group aspects, offered interventions, homework tasks, and possible changes. All participants were adults, diagnosed with major depressive disorder and/or generalized anxiety disorder and being currently in mental health care treatment. After transcribing the interviews, analyses were performed according to the guidelines of thematic analysis. Four major themes were identified. First, the group format itself was experienced as an important factor of change. The experiences about the different offered interventions during the group formed a second theme. A third theme related to changes in family or professional life and dealing with RNT as a result of the intervention. Finally, group participation, social interactions, and mental health care treatment were experienced as mutually influencing during the intervention. The results of this study shed some light on which treatment interventions were perceived as beneficial during the RNT-G and should therefore be emphasized in treatment. Further, they indicate that the treatment in a group format was experienced as helpful by the participants. Finally, a positive mutual influence between the group intervention and the ongoing individual treatment was experienced.

Dependent Stress Generation Mediates the Relation Between Poor Cognitive Control and Repetitive Negative Thinking in Emerging Adults

Poor cognitive control has been associated with maladaptive thinking, like rumination and worry, that increase risk for internalizing psychopathology. However, little research has investigated how cognitive control is associated with commonalities between rumination and worry (i.e., repetitive negative thinking; RNT). The current study aimed to investigate how cognitive control predicts engagement in a common component of RNT over time via an indirect mechanism of dependent stress generation in a one-semester longitudinal study of emerging adult college students ( N = 224). Executive functioning task performance and self-reported attentional control (not working memory capacity task performance) prospectively predicted RNT, mediated by dependent stress, but did not predict change in stress or RNT from baseline. These findings suggest that aspects of cognitive control relevant for successful goal pursuit may be involved with maintaining levels of stressful life events and subsequent RNT.

Psychological symptoms, mental fatigue and behavioural adherence after 72 continuous days of strict lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina.

An early and prolonged lockdown was adopted in Argentina during the first wave of COVID-19. Early reports evidenced elevated psychological symptoms. To explore if the prolonged lockdown was associated with elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms; if mental fatigue was associated with lockdown adherence (a phenomenon called 'behavioural fatigue'); and if financial concerns were associated with lockdown adherence and emotional symptoms. The survey included standardised questionnaires to assess depressive (PHQ-9) and anxious (GAD-7) symptoms, mental fatigue, risk perception, lockdown adherence, financial concerns, daily stress, loneliness, intolerance to uncertainty, negative repetitive thinking and cognitive problems. LASSO regression analyses were carried out to predict depression, anxiety and lockdown adherence. The survey reached 3617 adults (85.2% female) from all provinces of Argentina after 72 days of lockdown. Data were collected between 21 May 2020 and 4 June 2020. In that period, Argentina had an Oxford stringency index of 85/100. Of those surveyed, 45.6% and 27% met the cut-offs for depression and anxiety, respectively. Mental fatigue, cognitive failures and financial concerns were correlated with psychological symptoms, but not with adherence to lockdown. In regression models, mental fatigue, cognitive failures and loneliness were the most important variables to predict depression, intolerance to uncertainty and lockdown difficulty were the most important for anxiety, and perceived threat was the most important for predicting lockdown adherence. During the extended lockdown, psychological symptoms increased, being enhanced by mental fatigue, cognitive difficulties and financial concerns. We found no evidence of behavioural fatigue. Thus, feeling mentally fatigued is not the same as being behaviourally fatigued.

Infant carrying is associated with reduced maternal repetitive negative thinking and increased maternal mental health

ABSTRACT Introduction Mental disorders, such as postnatal depression, are common in mothers. Repetitive negative thinking has been identified as a cognitive factor underlying the resulting difficulties in mother-infant interactions. Method The present online survey investigated associations between infant carrying (baby-wearing) and maternal repetitive negative thinking and positive mental health. Results Repetitive negative thinking was significantly lower, and positive mental health was significantly higher while carrying compared to overall levels. There were no relations between maternal mental health and frequency of carrying. Maternal activities during carrying are portrayed. Conclusion These results are the first indication that carrying could be a low threshold, easily administered intervention method for maternal mental health problems.

Repetitive negative thinking: transdiagnostic correlate and risk factor for mental disorders? A proof-of-concept study in German soldiers before and after deployment to Afghanistan

Background and objectivesDisorder-specific forms of Repetitive Negative Thinking (RNT) are associated with multiple diagnostic categories, indicating a transdiagnostic nature. Few studies examined content-independent RNT processes across groups of diagnosed mental disorders. Moreover, theory describes RNT processes as critically involved in the etiology of mental disorders, empirical evidence however is scarce. We first tested the transdiagnostic nature by examining levels of RNT across groups of internalizing and externalizing mental disorders compared to healthy individuals and explored RNT levels in a comorbid disorder-group. Second, we examined whether RNT predicts incident psychopathology.MethodsIn a sample of German soldiers (n = 425) scheduled for deployment in Afghanistan, we compared RNT levels between diagnosed groups with alcohol use disorders, anxiety disorders and healthy individuals cross-sectionally. Exploratory analyses were conducted comparing a comorbid disorder-group to healthy individuals and to both single-disorder-groups. Longitudinally, we examined the predictive value of pre-deployment RNT levels for incident psychopathology after deployment (n = 167). RNT was measured using the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ), DSM-IV diagnoses were assessed using the standardized Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI).ResultsCross-sectional comparisons revealed that soldiers with alcohol use disorders and anxiety disorders showed significantly higher degrees of RNT compared to healthy soldiers. RNT levels in those with comorbid disorders were significantly higher compared to healthy soldiers but also compared to both single-disorder-groups. Longitudinal analyses revealed that higher levels of RNT prior to deployment were associated with a higher risk to have any incidental mental disorder after deployment. This however is only attributable to individuals with a PTQ score above a cut-off of 15.ConclusionsFindings provide evidence for RNT as a transdiagnostic correlate and a vulnerability factor for the development of mental disorders.

Does repetitive negative thinking mediate the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and cognitive test anxiety?

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives Test anxiety, particularly cognitive test anxiety, is negatively associated with academic performance. Previous research has demonstrated that higher levels of perfectionistic concerns predict higher levels of cognitive test anxiety but has not explored potential mediators of this relationship. This study investigated whether repetitive negative thinking mediated the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and cognitive test anxiety in a non-clinical, academic sample. Methods Participants were Australian university students (N = 129, 32 male, 94 female, 3 non-binary), aged between 18 and 53 (M = 23.96; SD = 6.88), recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Participants completed an online questionnaire assessing demographics, repetitive negative thinking, perfectionistic concerns, and cognitive test anxiety. Results Mediation analysis yielded a total model accounting for 43.5% of variance in cognitive TA. Perfectionistic concerns significantly accounted for 10.6% of variance direction (F(1, 127) = 12.21, p < .001, = .106), and 32.5% indirectly through RNT (F(2,126) = 30.81, p < .001, = .329). Conclusions Findings demonstrate that RNT significantly mediates the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and cognitive test anxiety in this sample. Importantly, these findings may direct future studies towards investigating the effectiveness of targeting repetitive negative thinking in interventions to mitigate levels of cognitive test anxiety.

Comparing mental health and well-being of US undergraduate and graduate students during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This study explored how COVID-related mental health and well-being varied between undergraduate and graduate students. Relationships with physical health behaviors were also examined. Participants: Undergraduate (n = 897) and graduate (n = 314) students were recruited from three US universities between mid-April and late-May 2020. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional survey self-reported perceived stress, financial stress, resilience, repetitive negative thinking, mood, anxiety, diet, sleep, and physical activity using validated instruments. Results: Undergraduate students reported more perceived stress, more repetitive negative thinking, less positive mood, and less support from professors than graduate students. Perceived stress, repetitive negative thinking, negative mood, and anxiety increased among all students (p < .05 for all). Correlations between mental health outcomes and physical health behaviors were weak to moderate (r = .08 to .49). Conclusions: College students, particularly undergraduates, perceived negative mental health impacts during COVID. Creative approaches for meeting student needs are necessary.

Reducing worry and rumination in young adults via a mobile phone app: study protocol of the ECoWeB (Emotional Competence for Well-Being in Young Adults) randomised controlled trial focused on repetitive negative thinking

BackgroundPromoting well-being and preventing poor mental health in young people is a major global priority. Building emotional competence skills via a mobile app may be an effective, scalable and acceptable way to do this. A particular risk factor for anxiety and depression is elevated worry and rumination (repetitive negative thinking, RNT). An app designed to reduce RNT may prevent future incidence of depression and anxiety.Method/designThe Emotional Competence for Well-Being in Young Adults study developed an emotional competence app to be tested via randomised controlled trials in a longitudinal prospective cohort. This off-shoot study adapts the app to focus on targeting RNT (worry, rumination), known risk factors for poor mental health. In this study, 16–24 year olds in the UK, who report elevated worry and rumination on standardised questionnaires are randomised to (i) receive the RNT-targeting app immediately for 6 weeks (ii) a waiting list control who receive the app after 6 weeks. In total, the study will aim to recruit 204 participants, with no current diagnosis of major depression, bipolar disorder or psychosis, across the UK. Assessments take place at baseline (pre-randomisation), 6 and 12 weeks post-randomisation. Primary endpoint and outcome for the study is level of rumination assessed on the Rumination Response Styles Questionnaire at 6 weeks. Worry, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and well-being are secondary outcomes. Compliance, adverse events and potentially mediating variables will be carefully monitored.DiscussionThis trial aims to better understand the benefits of tackling RNT via an mobile phone app intervention in young people. This prevention mechanism trial will establish whether targeting worry and rumination directly via an app provides a feasible approach to prevent depression and anxiety, with scope to become a widescale public health strategy for preventing poor mental health and promoting well-being in young people.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04950257. Registered 6 July 2021 – Retrospectively registered.

Repetitive negative thinking and depressive symptoms are differentially related to response inhibition: The influence of non-emotional, socio-emotional, and self-referential stimuli

Identifying transdiagnostic correlates of response inhibition deficits is important for understanding risk for internalizing disorders. Little work has compared the relationships between internalizing symptoms and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) with response inhibition across non-emotional and emotional domains, and no work has compared these relationships for inhibition of socio-emotional relative to self-referential stimuli. Undergraduate students (N = 71, 18.44 ± 0.71 years) selected on extremes of internalizing symptoms completed the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) and a Go/No-Go paradigm using non-emotional stimuli, other individuals' sad facial expressions, and participants' own sad facial expressions. Participants exhibited more commission errors for sad facial expressions than non-emotional trials, though commission errors for others' and participants’ own sad facial expressions did not differ. Depressive symptoms were associated with poorer inhibition of non-emotional stimuli; however, PTQ scores were associated with more successful inhibition of non-emotional stimuli. Our results provide evidence that transdiagnostic RNT as assessed by the PTQ may be related to better inhibition in non-emotional domains, but negative emotional stimuli may interfere with successful inhibition for those with high RNT, while depressive symptoms were linked to poorer inhibition of non-emotional stimuli. These findings have implications for internalizing disorders, which often are accompanied by RNT.

Validation of the Child version of the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire of repetitive negative thinking in young people with diagnosed depressive and anxiety disorders.

This paper sought to provide the first validation of a transdiagnostic measure of repetitive negative thinking – the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire‐Child version (PTQ‐C) – in young people diagnosed with anxiety and depressive disorders. Participants (N = 114) were 11‐ to 17‐year‐olds with complex and comorbid presentations seeking treatment through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Confirmatory factor analyses best supported a three‐factor model for the PTQ‐C; however, hypotheses of both perfect and close fit were rejected, and a subsequent bifactor model suggested minimal unique variance for each subscale. Results demonstrated good internal consistency, convergent validity and divergent validity for the total score and three PTQ‐S subscales: core characteristics, perceived unproductiveness, and consumed mental capacity of negative repetitive thinking. PTQ‐C scores did not account for additional variance in anxiety symptoms once worry was considered, indicating that retention of a content‐specific measure may be warranted in clinical samples. Findings emphasize the importance of validating clinically relevant measures which were developed with subclinical populations in samples with diagnosed mental health disorders.Practitioner points Validates Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire in anxious and depressed youth.Support for convergent and divergent validity, and internal consistency.Results suggest measure is appropriate for complex and comorbid presentations.

Repetitive Negative Thinking About Suicide: Associations With Lifetime Suicide Attempts.

Repetitive negative thinking has been identified as an important predictor of suicide ideation and suicidal behavior. Yet, only few studies have investigated the effect of suicide-specific rumination, i.e., repetitive thinking about death and/or suicide on suicide attempt history. On this background, the present study investigated, whether suicide-specific rumination differentiates between suicide attempters and suicide ideators, is predictive of suicide attempt history and mediates the association between suicide ideation and suicide attempts. A total of 257 participants with a history of suicide ideation (55.6% female; Age M = 30.56, Age SD = 11.23, range: 18-73 years) completed online measures on suicidality, general and suicide-specific rumination. Suicide-specific rumination differentiated suicide attempters from suicide ideators, predicted suicide attempt status (above age, gender, suicide ideation, general rumination) and fully mediated the association between suicide ideation and lifetime suicide attempts. Overall, though limited by the use of a non-clinical sample and a cross-sectional study design, the present results suggest that suicide-specific rumination might be a factor of central relevance in understanding transitions to suicidal behavior.