Brooding and Pondering: Isolating the Active Ingredients of Depressive Rumination with Confirmatory Factor Analysis Michael Armey David M. Fresco Kent State University Douglas S. Mennin Yale University Cynthia L. Turk LaSalle University Richard G. Heimberg Jelena Spasojevic Lauren B. Alloy Temple University Poster Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Boston, MA, November 2003 Contact: David M. Fresco, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Kent State University, 315-A Kent Hall, Kent, OH 44242 Voice: (330) 672-4049, Fax: (330) 672-3786, Email: fresco@kent.edu INTRODUCTION Depressive Rumination Depressive rumination, defined as the process of “focusing passively and repetitively on one’s symptoms of distress and the meaning of those symptoms without taking action to correct the problems one identifies,” (Nolen-Hoeksema,1998; p. 216) has been linked to a number of clinically significant cognitions and behaviors. Specifically, depressive rumination, as assessed by Nolen-Hoeksema's Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ; Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991), has been associated with the unequal prevalence rates of depression between men and women (Nolen- Hoeksema, 1987), and the onset (Just & Alloy, 1997), deteriorating course (Kuehner & Weber, 1999), chronicity (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2000), and duration of depressed mood (Just & Alloy, 1997; Nolen-Hoeksema, Morrow, & Fredrickson, 1993). Despite these findings, research into depressive rumination frequently generates mixed results. Factor Structure of Depressive Rumination Recent research, however, suggested that the RSQ Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) may be contaminated with depressive item content (Roberts, Gilboa, & Gotlib, 1998; Treynor, Gonzalez, & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2003). Furthermore, research has demonstrated that the RRS is comprised of two (Bagby & Parker, 2001; Fresco, Frankel, Mennin, Turk, & Heimberg, 2002; Treynor et al., 2003) or three (Roberts et al., 1998) first order factors that show different relationships to depression symptoms. One particularly promising factor analysis of the RRS rationally eliminated items conceptually related to depression and submitted the remaining items to exploratory factor analysis (Treynor et al., 2003). A two-factor solution emerged with “brooding” demonstrating a stronger relationship to depression than “pondering.” However, generalizability of this study was limited by two methodological shortcomings: a non-standard, interview-based, administration of the RSQ and a version of the RSQ that omitted three items commonly used in previous research. The Present Study Given the previously demonstrated heterogeneity of the rumination construct and the association of at least one of these factors with depression, we sought to replicate and extend Treynor et al.’s (2003) two- factor solution using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with a standard, self- report, form of the RSQ in a college sample. We then chose to test this factor solution using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in both a college sample and a with a sample collected as part of the Temple-Wisconsin Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression Project (Alloy et al., 2000). The obtained factor solution was further explored using criterion measures of worry and depression and anxiety symptoms. METHOD Participants Participants for the EFA (Study 1) consisted of 680 undergraduate students (70% female) who completed the study for course credit. The average age of this sample was 19.5 (SD = 3.96). Participants for the initial CFA (Study 2) consisted of 724 undergraduate students (67% female) who completed the study for course credit. The average age of this sample was 20.4 (SD = 3.96). Participants for the second CFA (Study 3) included 67 first-year college students identified as at risk for depression (e.g., high dysfunctional attitudes and depressogenic inferential styles) as a part of Alloy and Abramson’s (1999) Temple-Wisconsin Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression Project (66% female). The average age of this sample was approximately 18.45 (SD = 1.40). In each study, participants were excluded only if they failed to complete all 13 of the RSQ items used in the EFA analysis. Measures The Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ; Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991) is a 71-item self-report instrument designed to assess an individual’s characteristic tendency to engage in ruminative, distracting, problem-solving, or dangerous coping behavior in the presence of a dysphoric or stressful situation. Depressive rumination is typically assessed with the 22-item RRS subscale. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ; Meyer, Miller, Metzger, & Borkovec, 1990) is a 16-item instrument assessing severity, generality, and uncontrollability of trait worry. The Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire-Short Form (MASQ; Watson & Clark, 1991) is a 62-item instrument designed to assess symptoms commonly occurring in the mood and anxiety disorders. These 62 items are sub-divided into four subscales: General Distress Anxious Symptoms (GDA), General Distress Depressive Symptoms (GDD), Anxious Arousal (AA), and Anhedonic Depression (AD).