1,171
Views
60
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
BRIEF REPORTS

Ruminative subtypes and coping responses: Active and passive pathways to depressive symptoms

, , &
Pages 1446-1455 | Received 07 Jan 2009, Accepted 24 Jul 2009, Published online: 24 Nov 2010
 

Abstract

Individuals draw on a variety of cognitive strategies—some active, some passive—as a way of coping with stress and dysphoria. Previous research suggests that the impact of rumination—one such strategy—on depression depends on whether rumination takes the passive form of brooding versus the more active form of reflection. This study tests whether brooding and reflection explain the effects of passive versus active coping responses, respectively, on depressive symptoms. In an undergraduate sample (n=284), brooding partially mediated the relationship between passive coping and depressive symptoms, whereas reflection did not. Reflection moderated the relationship between active coping and symptoms, such that low active copers who were high in reflection endorsed more symptoms than those low in reflection. Brooding and reflection may operate within cognitive–behavioural response pathways characterised by an active/passive distinction. Whether reflection is maladaptive likely depends on the active nature of the surrounding coping response.

Acknowledgements

This work was funded, in part, by the Hunter College Gender Equity Project, NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award #0123609.

The authors thank Valerie Khait, Cary Chu, Dana Eiss, Shama Goklani, and Lisa Lerner for their assistance with data collection; Susan Nolen-Hoeksema and Katherine Surrence for comments on an early version of the manuscript; and Rebecca Huselid for comments on an earlier version of our statistical analyses.

Notes

1Exploratory factor analysis of all items of the Brief COPE, with oblique rotation, showed that only items on the active coping and planning subscales loaded onto a first factor, at values between .62 and .71, and denial and behavioural disengagement subscale items onto a second factor, at values between .45 and .64. It should be noted that the denial and behavioural disengagement subscales were significantly and positively correlated, r(284)=.34, p<.01, as were the active coping and planning subscales, r(284)=.62, p<.01.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.