Testing the cognitive catalyst model of depression: Does rumination amplify the impact of cognitive diatheses in response to stress?

Abstract

Recent studies have found that rumination functions as a catalyst of cognitive vulnerability to depression. Specifically, these studies have reported synergistic effects between rumination and negative cognitive content (beliefs and attitudes), such that rumination amplifies the association between negative cognitive content and depression (Ciesla & Roberts, 2002, 2007; Robinson & Alloy, 2003). The current study extended this work by testing whether cognitive vulnerability involving the combination of negative cognitive content and rumination increases the impact of stress on the course of depressive symptoms. One hundred ninety-one college students with elevated depressive symptoms participated in a two-wave longitudinal study. Results indicate that the maintenance of depressive symptoms was predicted by the three-way interaction of negative cognitive content, rumination, and stressful life events. More specifically, students who endorsed both maladaptive cognitive content and a tendency to ruminate were particularly vulnerable to the deleterious impact of life stress.

Keywords:

• Depression
• Rumination
• Negative cognition
• Stress

Notes

¹Specifically, the items from the BDI used to indicate the presence of sadness or anhedonia were items 1 (sadness), 4 (loss of pleasure), 10 (crying), and 12 (loss of interest).

²Though not presented, we explored the three marginally significant interactions from Tables 1 and 2, and in each of these, the same general form of the interaction was observed throughout the study.