Ruminative Tendencies Research Articles

Self-Compassion and Its Association With Ruminative Tendencies and Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability in Recurrent Major Depression.

BackgroundRecurrent Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the most disabling mental disorders in modern society. Prior research has shown that self-compassion protects against ruminative tendencies, a key feature of recurrent MDD. In addition, self-compassion has been found to be positively related to higher psychophysiological flexibility (indexed by a higher vagally mediated heart rate variability; vmHRV) in young, healthy adults. To our knowledge, there is a lack of studies on how self-compassion relates to vmHRV in patients with recurrent MDD. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether higher self-compassion would associate with (1) lower ruminative tendencies and (2) higher vmHRV in a sample of adults with recurrent MDD.MethodsWe included a sample of 63 patients (46 females) between 20 and 71 years old (M = 40.24, SD = 12.8) with a history of three or more depressive episodes. They filled out the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Rumination Rating Scale (RRS). ECG (used to derive vmHRV) was acquired while resting and the square root of the mean squared differences of successive RR interval values (RMSSD) was calculated as measure of vmHRV.ResultsAs hypothesized, self-compassion was associated with lower ruminative tendencies. However, self-compassion was not associated with level of vmHRV. Several confounding variables were controlled for in the statistical analyses, and higher age predicted lower vmHRV across all statistical analyses.ConclusionThe results confirmed our hypothesis that higher self-compassion would be associated with lower ruminative tendencies in recurrent MDD. Contrary to our expectation, we did not find that the tendency to be more self-compassionate was associated with higher vmHRV. As such, higher self-compassion seems to relate with a lower tendency to ruminate about past mistakes and events but does not seem to relate to a flexible autonomic stress response (as indexed by higher vmHRV). Other potential explanatory factors for lower vmHRV in recurrent MDD is suggested as focus for exploration in future studies.

Stressed in afterthought: Neuroendocrine effects of social self-threat during physical effort are counteracted by performance feedback after stress exposure

Social self-threat during physical stress, such as exposure to the cold pressor test and isometric handgrip test, has been shown to induce activation of the HPA axis, in addition to autonomic responses. However, previous research has suggested that dysfunctional post-event processing may play a major role in neuroendocrine reactivity at initial as well as subsequent social stress exposure. In the present study, we investigated how the interplay of context (i.e. performance feedback) with state (i.e., self-esteem) as well as trait-like factors (i.e., ruminative tendencies) affects stress responses to repeated, short bouts of physical activity. On two sessions, 1 week apart, 53 participants (27 women) performed an isometric handgrip task for 3 min, during which they were exposed to social-evaluative threat. In addition, participants received fake feedback on their performance immediately after the task, labeling it as either ‘above’ (positive) or ‘below average’ (negative). In addition to neuroendocrine (cortisol), cardiovascular (heart rate, blood pressure) and subjective stress reactivity, performance-related and social dimensions of state self-esteem were assessed before and after stress induction. Substantial increases in cardiovascular parameters were found on both days, regardless of feedback condition. However, positive feedback led to significantly diminished neuroendocrine responses on day 1, whereas baseline cortisol on session 2 was significantly higher in the negative feedback group. Conversely, social self-esteem decreased after stress induction on both days only for participants who had received negative feedback. Changes in self-esteem reported on day 1 were associated with increased baseline cortisol at the second session, while interindividual differences in self-reported (trait) rumination were associated with cortisol reactivity at session 1. Taken together, the results suggest that effects of social evaluation during short periods of physical stress rely on post-event processing and might be counteracted by positive appraisal directly after stress exposure. Post-hoc framing (in terms of success vs. failure) may predict subsequent stress-related hormonal effects better than task demands per se, which should be considered as a potential moderator in future acute stress research, but might also be relevant to many practical applications in fields ranging from sports/performance to health psychology.

A Study on Rumination Tendency Scale of Pregnant Women

A Study on Rumination Tendency Scale of Pregnant Women

Metacognitive skills inventory (MSI): development and validation

Metacognitive skills help to control and regulate negative thoughts, emotions, beliefs and sad memories. The objective of the study was to develop and validate an inventory-Metacognitive Skills Inventory (MSI) to assess the variance in adopting metacognitive strategies between those who have depressive symptoms and those who have not. Two studies were carried out among Indian youth (study 1—N = 269, MeanAge= 21.1 and study 2—N = 745, MeanAge= 20.9). They completed the MSI as well as measures of depression and negative emotions. Item response theory (IRT) analysis, and exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were carried out for the scale development. The analyses derived a meaningful four-factor structure [(i) Navigation of negative thoughts by adopting metacognitive strategies, (ii) Channelizing negative emotions constructively, (iii) Recognizing ruminative tendencies, (iv) Knowledge of strengths and weaknesses in regulating emotions] of a 12-item MSI. An MSI could be used to identify patient-specific metacognitive skills in people with depressive symptoms, which need to be improved while doing Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) after validating clinical samples.

Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Solutions for Symptom-Specific Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders

Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in bipolar disorder (BD) have evidenced changes in functional connectivity (FC) in brain areas associated with emotion processing, but how these changes vary with mood state and specific clinical symptoms is not fully understood.We investigated resting-state FC between a priori regions of interest (ROIs) from the default-mode network and key structures for emotion processing and regulation in 27 BD patients and 27 matched healthy controls. We further compared connectivity patterns in subgroups of 15 euthymic and 12 non-euthymic patients and tested for correlations of the connectivity strength with measures of mood, anxiety, and rumination tendency. No correction for multiple comparisons was applied given the small population sample and pre-defined target ROIs.Overall, regardless of mood state, BD patients exhibited increased FC of the left amygdala with left sgACC and PCC, relative to controls. In addition, non-euthymic BD patients showed distinctive decrease in FC between right amygdala and sgACC, whereas euthymic patients showed lower FC between PCC and sgACC. Euthymic patients also displayed increased FC between sgACC and right VLPFC. The sgACC–PCC and sgACC–left amygdala connections were modulated by rumination tendency in non-euthymic patients, whereas the sgACC-VLPFC connection was modulated by both the current mood and tendency to ruminate.Our results suggest that sgACC-amygdala coupling is critically affected during mood episodes, and that FC of sgACC play a pivotal role in mood normalization through its interactions with the VLPFC and PCC. However, these preliminary findings require replication with larger samples of patients.

NA-MEMD Based Causal Decomposition for Human Upper Limb Movement Recognition

Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in bipolar disorder (BD) have evidenced changes in functional connectivity (FC) in brain areas associated with emotion processing, but how these changes vary with mood state and specific clinical symptoms is not fully understood.We investigated resting-state FC between a priori regions of interest (ROIs) from the default-mode network and key structures for emotion processing and regulation in 27 BD patients and 27 matched healthy controls. We further compared connectivity patterns in subgroups of 15 euthymic and 12 non-euthymic patients and tested for correlations of the connectivity strength with measures of mood, anxiety, and rumination tendency. No correction for multiple comparisons was applied given the small population sample and pre-defined target ROIs.Overall, regardless of mood state, BD patients exhibited increased FC of the left amygdala with left sgACC and PCC, relative to controls. In addition, non-euthymic BD patients showed distinctive decrease in FC between right amygdala and sgACC, whereas euthymic patients showed lower FC between PCC and sgACC. Euthymic patients also displayed increased FC between sgACC and right VLPFC. The sgACC–PCC and sgACC–left amygdala connections were modulated by rumination tendency in non-euthymic patients, whereas the sgACC-VLPFC connection was modulated by both the current mood and tendency to ruminate.Our results suggest that sgACC-amygdala coupling is critically affected during mood episodes, and that FC of sgACC play a pivotal role in mood normalization through its interactions with the VLPFC and PCC. However, these preliminary findings require replication with larger samples of patients.

Brain Oscillations During Cognitive Processes in Patients With Schizophrenia

Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in bipolar disorder (BD) have evidenced changes in functional connectivity (FC) in brain areas associated with emotion processing, but how these changes vary with mood state and specific clinical symptoms is not fully understood.We investigated resting-state FC between a priori regions of interest (ROIs) from the default-mode network and key structures for emotion processing and regulation in 27 BD patients and 27 matched healthy controls. We further compared connectivity patterns in subgroups of 15 euthymic and 12 non-euthymic patients and tested for correlations of the connectivity strength with measures of mood, anxiety, and rumination tendency. No correction for multiple comparisons was applied given the small population sample and pre-defined target ROIs.Overall, regardless of mood state, BD patients exhibited increased FC of the left amygdala with left sgACC and PCC, relative to controls. In addition, non-euthymic BD patients showed distinctive decrease in FC between right amygdala and sgACC, whereas euthymic patients showed lower FC between PCC and sgACC. Euthymic patients also displayed increased FC between sgACC and right VLPFC. The sgACC–PCC and sgACC–left amygdala connections were modulated by rumination tendency in non-euthymic patients, whereas the sgACC-VLPFC connection was modulated by both the current mood and tendency to ruminate.Our results suggest that sgACC-amygdala coupling is critically affected during mood episodes, and that FC of sgACC play a pivotal role in mood normalization through its interactions with the VLPFC and PCC. However, these preliminary findings require replication with larger samples of patients.

Symposium Title: Assessing Brain Connectivity From EEG/MEG Measurements

Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in bipolar disorder (BD) have evidenced changes in functional connectivity (FC) in brain areas associated with emotion processing, but how these changes vary with mood state and specific clinical symptoms is not fully understood.We investigated resting-state FC between a priori regions of interest (ROIs) from the default-mode network and key structures for emotion processing and regulation in 27 BD patients and 27 matched healthy controls. We further compared connectivity patterns in subgroups of 15 euthymic and 12 non-euthymic patients and tested for correlations of the connectivity strength with measures of mood, anxiety, and rumination tendency. No correction for multiple comparisons was applied given the small population sample and pre-defined target ROIs.Overall, regardless of mood state, BD patients exhibited increased FC of the left amygdala with left sgACC and PCC, relative to controls. In addition, non-euthymic BD patients showed distinctive decrease in FC between right amygdala and sgACC, whereas euthymic patients showed lower FC between PCC and sgACC. Euthymic patients also displayed increased FC between sgACC and right VLPFC. The sgACC–PCC and sgACC–left amygdala connections were modulated by rumination tendency in non-euthymic patients, whereas the sgACC-VLPFC connection was modulated by both the current mood and tendency to ruminate.Our results suggest that sgACC-amygdala coupling is critically affected during mood episodes, and that FC of sgACC play a pivotal role in mood normalization through its interactions with the VLPFC and PCC. However, these preliminary findings require replication with larger samples of patients.

The role of depressive symptoms and rumination on subjective confidence in recognition of others’ emotions: an exploratory study

ABSTRACT Objective Depression has unfavourable effects on emotion perception, and potential downstream consequences on social functioning. However, it is not clear if depressed individuals themselves are aware of these effects. We explored the relation between the independent and interactive contributions of depressive symptoms and rumination on self-perceived emotion recognition ability. Method Depressive symptoms and ruminative tendencies of 108 university students (54 females) were measured, and participants rated both their self-perceived ability to perceive emotion, and to recognize the change from one emotion to another, in other people. Results Multiple regressions showed rumination and depressive symptoms both independently and interactively explain participants’ beliefs about their emotion recognition skills but only among females. Female ruminators thought they were more accurate, whereas those with more severe depressive symptoms believed they were less accurate. Interestingly, the relation between rumination and accuracy depended on depressed mood, such that rumination predicted self-perceived emotion recognition to a greater extent as depression increased. The pattern of findings were weaker and non-significant for males. Conclusions At least in women, both depression and rumination are, independently and interactively, correlated with self-perceived ability to recognize emotion. These findings have implications for both research and clinical practice. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: (1) Depression has detrimental effects on emotion recognition, and possible downstream effects on social functioning. (2) It is not known whether depressed individuals themselves are aware of the effects of depressive symptoms on their social interactions. (3) The tendency towards prolonged, repetitive thinking about one’s own thoughts, feelings, and problems – termed rumination – might explain depression-related emotion recognition deficiencies. What this topic adds: (1) The current study examined the independent and interactive effects of depressive symptoms and rumination on self-perceived emotion recognition. Overall, results revealed main and interaction effects of rumination and depressive symptoms on self-perceived emotion recognition but only among females. (2) Inspection of interaction effects revealed that somewhat counterintuitively, females with higher levels of rumination reported greater self-perceived emotion recognition, controlling for depression. (3) Among females, more depressed individuals who tended not to ruminate reported the least competency in detecting the emotions of others. Put another way, the negative relation between depression and self-perceived emotion recognition is stronger when people do not ruminate.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Late-Life Depression: a Randomised Controlled Trial.

Rumination and overgeneral autobiographical memory are dysfunctional cognitions commonly found in older adults with depression. The theoretical underpinnings of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) address the ruminative tendencies and the non-specific retrieval of autobiographical memories. This study aims to examine the efficacy and cognitive mechanisms of MBCT in older adults with active depressive symptoms. 57 older adults (mean age, 70 years) with normal cognition and mild to moderate depressive symptoms were randomly allocated to either the MBCT group or the active control group for 8 weeks. The MBCT group consisted of eight 2-hour weekly sessions and a 7-hour full-day retreat, with different themes for each class, guided mindfulness exercises, feedback and discussion, homework review, and psychoeducation. The active control group comprised a 1-hour physical exercise and a standardised health education of the specific theme with group discussion (eg fall prevention, chronic pain). Participants were assessed before and after the 8-week intervention for four outcome measures: the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS), the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). There was a significant reduction in severity of depressive symptoms (HAMD score) in both the MBCT group (F(1, 27) = 35.9, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.57) and the active control group (F(1, 28) = 9.29, p < 0.01, η2 = 0.24), but only the MBCT group showed substantial improvements in autobiographical memory specificity (AMT score), rumination (RRS score), and mindfulness (MAAS score). Although both MBCT and active control programme decrease the severity of depressive symptoms in older adults, only MBCT improves AMS, rumination, and mindfulness. Our findings provide empirical support for the theoretical underpinnings of MBCT. Older adults with more severe depression and more severe dysfunctional cognition may benefit more from the specific therapeutic effects of MBCT.

Prefrontal tDCS attenuates counterfactual thinking in female individuals prone to self-critical rumination

The tendency to ruminate (i.e., repetitive negative self-referential thoughts that perpetuate depressive mood) is associated with (a) an elevated propensity to maladaptively experience counterfactual thinking (CFT) and regret, and (b) hypo-activity of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The goal of this study was to investigate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left DLPFC, in function of self-critical rumination tendencies, momentarily reduces counterfactual thinking and regret (assessed via self-report and psychophysiological indices). Eighty healthy participants with different levels of self-critical rumination received either anodal or sham tDCS while performing a decision making task in which they were repeatedly confronted with optimal, suboptimal, and non-optimal choice outcomes. The results showed that among rumination-prone individuals, anodal (versus sham) tDCS was associated with decreased CFT and attenuated psychophysiological reactivity to the differential choice outcomes. Conversely, among low rumination-prone individuals, anodal (versus sham) tDCS was associated with increased CFT and regret, but in absence of any effects on psychophysiological reactivity. Potential working mechanisms for these differential tDCS effects are discussed. Taken together, these results provide initial converging evidence for the adaptive effects of left prefrontal tDCS on CFT and regret to personal choice outcomes among individuals prone to engage in self-critical rumination.

The cost of being absent: Is meta-awareness of mind-wandering related to depression symptom severity, rumination tendencies and trauma intrusions?

BackgroundDeng, Li and Tang (2014) reported that depression symptom severity is negatively associated with dispositional mindfulness and importantly, positively associated with zone-outs (mind-wandering without meta-awareness). We replicated and extended their study by exploring possible explanations for these relationships, and by also investigating whether mind-wandering is related to (1) trait rumination subtype—brooding, depressive or reflective, and (2) trauma intrusions—a hallmark PTSD symptom, since both rumination and trauma intrusions strongly correlate with depression. We also explored if dispositional mindfulness—the opposing construct of mind-wandering—mediated these relationships. MethodTwo hundred participants completed mindfulness tendency and depression severity measures, counterbalanced with the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART)—including thought probes to index behavioral mind-wandering (target-error frequency), subjective mind-wandering and meta-awareness—then the rumination style and trauma intrusion frequency measures. ResultsDepression scores positively correlated with mind-wandering with and without meta-awareness and with SART target-error rates, and negatively correlated with dispositional mindfulness. Further, trait brooding positively correlated with mind-wandering without meta-awareness. Dispositional mindfulness mediated the relationships between brooding and depression, and depression and mind-wandering, and also negatively correlated with trauma intrusion frequency. LimitationsLimitations include measurement and mind-wandering definitions, and an inability to make causal claims. ConclusionsPeople experiencing greater depression symptomology, and/or who have a greater tendency to brood, mind-wandered more often. Further, people who experience more trauma intrusions tend to be less mindful. These results point to potential harmful effects of mind-wandering through people's reduced propensity to be mindful, facilitating a negative self-referenced cognitive loop that may maintain or increase depression.

Frozen while I scan: Examining the impact of media dependencies, socioeconomic status and rumination on preparation behaviours related to Hurricane Dorian

AbstractBuilding on previous crisis and risk literature, this study investigates media dependencies, information seeking, preparation behaviours and rumination tendencies among individuals living on the Atlantic seaboard who were impacted by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Consistent with previous work, participants continue to perceive television, a legacy media, as the most important source of information—both initially and throughout the event. This study also analysed the extent to which information seeking, preparation behaviours and rumination tendencies may be related, drawing from recent work that has suggested that rumination tendencies may help explain sex differences in information seeking. Results suggested that those with higher rumination tendencies were more likely to perceive all sources of information as very important, with the exception of television, which was heavily relied upon by most participants. Rumination tendencies did not explain the variance in any of the three preparation behaviours examined. Overall, most participants had an emergency kit and an evacuation plan in place, while socioeconomic status positively predicted home preparation.

Mood disorders disrupt the functional dynamics, not spatial organization of brain resting state networks

Spontaneous fluctuations in the blood oxygenation level dependent signal measured through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging have been corroborated to aggregate into multiple functional networks. Abnormal resting brain activity is observed in mood disorder patients, however with inconsistent results. How do such alterations relate to clinical symptoms; e.g., level of depression and rumination tendencies? Here we recovered spatially and temporally overlapping functional networks from 31 mood disorder patients and healthy controls during rest, by applying novel methods that identify transient changes in spontaneous brain activity. Our unique approach disentangles the dynamic engagement of resting-state networks unconstrained by the slow hemodynamic response. This time-varying characterization provides moment-to-moment information about functional networks in terms of their durations and dynamic coupling, and offers novel evidence for selective contributionsto particular clinical symptoms. Patients showed increased duration of default-mode network (DMN), increased duration and occurrence of posterior DMN as well as insula- and amygdala-centered networks, but decreased occurrence of visual and anterior salience networks. Coupling between limbic (insula and amygdala) networks was also reduced. Depression level modulated DMN duration, whereas intrusive thoughts correlated with occurrence of insula and posterior DMN. Anatomical network organization was similar to controls. In sum, altered brain dynamics in mood disorder patients appear to mediate distinct clinical dimensions including increased self-processing, and decreased attention to external world.

A Structural Analysis among Intrusive rumination, Externalizing and Game addiction tendency: Multi-Group Analysis according to Adverse Childhood Experiences

A Structural Analysis among Intrusive rumination, Externalizing and Game addiction tendency: Multi-Group Analysis according to Adverse Childhood Experiences

The mediating mechanisms underlying the longitudinal effect of trait anger on social aggression: Testing a temporal path model

Social aggression is widely emerging among young adults and can cause social and psychological adjustment problems. Although trait anger is believed to affect aggression, the longitudinal effect of trait anger on social aggression has not been tested, and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. A temporal path model (TPM) was constructed to explain how trait anger longitudinally predicts social aggression. Three-wave data were collected in five provinces of China from 1209 valid young adults. The results showed that trait anger predicts social aggression through both hostile attribution tendency (an in-process tendency) and anger rumination tendency (a post-process tendency), and these tendencies may predict each other. The present study supports the idea of TPM for aggression and develops General Aggression Model.

Me, Myself, and My Thoughts: The Influence of Brooding and Reflective Rumination on Depressive Symptoms in Athletes in the United Kingdom

Individual differences in vulnerability to depression are still underexplored in athletes. We tested the influence of different brooding and reflective rumination profiles (i.e., repetitive thought processes in response to low/depressed mood) on the odds of experiencing clinically relevant depressive symptoms in competitive athletes (N = 286). The Patient Health Questionnaire–9 and the Ruminative Responses Scale–short form were utilized to measure depression and rumination, respectively. Compared to athletes with a low brooding/reflection profile, athletes with a high brooding/reflection profile had significantly higher odds of experiencing clinical levels of depressive symptoms (OR = 13.40, 95% CI = 3.81–47.11). A high reflection/low brooding profile was not, however, related to increased odds of depressive symptoms. Future research could extend our findings by exploring determinants of ruminative tendencies, especially brooding, in athletes. Furthermore, psychological interventions targeting rumination could be examined as a potential prevention and treatment approach to tackling depressive symptoms in athletes.

Music on Prescription to Aid Sleep Quality: A Literature Review.

Research on the efficacy of music for improving sleep quality has produced mixed results. We investigated whether the number of music dosages could be a reason for the lack of clarity. Six longitudinal music sleep studies using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) over 3 weeks were identified. Music when compared to active (audiobooks or medication) or passive controls significantly improved (improvement is reflected by a lower score) PSQI within the first or second week of prescription. The improvement was an average mean difference of −1.15 (SD = 0.53) for each week. Music dosages continued to be associated with improved PSQI over a study that had a 3-month music intervention. One study with a low initial PSQI score resulted in poor sleepers (PSQI > 5) achieving healthy sleep (PSQI < 5) within 3 weeks of regular music intervention. For future studies, “prescribing” music beyond 3 weeks may lead to more instances of healthy sleep, particularly for those who have mild sleep problems. To explain the findings, we proposed that the relationship between weeks of music listening and improved PSQI are attributed to the truncation of poor bedtime habits linked to ruminative tendencies and consequent hyperarousal prior to the music intervention. Music listening at bedtime replaces those bad habits, we argue, by forming a new psychological link between bedtime and sleep through evaluative conditioning. The findings of the present study provide disarming evidence of the potential for prescription of music for treating mild sleep disorder.

Intrinsic Facilitators And Barriers, And Recurrent Negative Thoughts Of Physical Activity In Uk Children.

An increasing number of physical activity (PA) interventions have been implemented to tackle the child obesity epidemic, yet many have shown limited effectiveness. This is possibly due to a lack of in-depth understanding of the intrinsic motivators and demotivators to PA for children. PURPOSE: A main aim of this study was to explore the intrinsic facilitators and barriers to PA participation through the lived experience of UK children (Study 1). Utilising the latter findings, our second aim was to develop and validate the PA-specific Rumination Scale for Children (PARSC) to assess children’s tendencies to engage in repeated negative thoughts about PA, which may hinder participation (Study 2). METHODS: For Study 1, 21 focus groups were formed based on participants’ year group (aged 6-10 years), sex and pedometry-assessed PA. Focus group discussions were thematically analysed. For Study 2, the themes identified for the intrinsic barriers were used to develop PARSC, which were completed twice by 382 children (aged 6-11 years). RESULTS: For Study 1, four overarching themes were identified for the intrinsic facilitators - sense of competence/accomplishments, cognitive motivator, sensations and socialisation/social facilitation. Four main themes for the intrinsic barriers were lack of competence, fear of negative experiences, external constraints and lacking a sense of purpose. For Study 2, results from Rasch analysis demonstrated that PARSC possessed sound internal validity and consistency, and test-retest reliability. Self-perceived PA (p = 0.004) and avoidant coping (p = 0.01) were predictive of PA-specific rumination tendencies with 15% of variance explained. CONCLUSION: The themes identified from the current study can inform future PA interventions and PE curriculum for UK children. Also, PARSC can be a useful tool to assess children’s PA-specific rumination tendencies and to advance our understanding of the role of rumination in PA behaviour.

Placebo prevents rumination: An experimental study

BackgroundRumination is a risk factor for the development and maintenance of depressive symptoms and represents an important target for the treatment of depression. In the present study, we aimed to examine whether rumination can be reduced when participants are led to believe that they would receive medication that would prevent them from ruminating. MethodsIn healthy participants (N= 91), an initial dysphoric state was induced via mood-suggestive music and autobiographic recall. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: an experimental group that received a deceptive active placebo via intranasal application accompanied by expectancy-enhancing instructions vs. a no-treatment control group. Then, rumination was induced via a rumination-activating task. The primary outcome was current rumination; experienced sadness was considered a secondary outcome. ResultsConsistent with the hypothesis, participants receiving the placebo reported a significantly lower increase in current rumination (d= 0.57) and a higher decrease in sadness (d= 0.69) after the experimental induction than the control group. LimitationsThe external validity of this study might be limited due to the highly educated student sample. ConclusionsThe results suggest that rumination processes as well as experienced sadness can be positively influenced by placebo treatment. To evaluate its clinical potential, placebo-induced expectancy effects in rumination research should be further examined, particularly with clinically depressed patients. Also, the results imply that clinicians might consider the effects of expectations on patients’ rumination tendencies, for example by explicitly addressing patients’ expectations about rumination, mood, and the treatment in general.