Abstract
Rumination is correlated with diverse types of internalizing problems, but the extent to which it relates to a higher-order internalizing spectrum versus disorder-specific pathology is unclear. Using a quantitative model of the internalizing dimension, we compared the strength of transdiagnostic versus diagnosis-specific pathways from brooding—the most depressogenic component of rumination—to major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents. Community-recruited mid-adolescents (N = 241, Mage = 15.90 years, 53% female) completed semi-structured interviews of anxiety and depressive conditions and a self-report brooding measure. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed good fit for a one-factor model of internalizing conditions. Results revealed a large, significant factor correlation between brooding and the internalizing factor (r = 0.55), with some evidence for a more modest specific link between brooding and the unique component of the MDD diagnosis (r = 0.17; approximately one-third as large as the transdiagnostic pathway). These cross-sectional associations were generally consistent across two assessment waves separated by 19 months. We concluded that brooding is better conceptualized as a common characteristic of all internalizing problems in adolescence, rather than a specific feature of MDD. Preregistered hypotheses, data analysis code, and correlation matrices for this study are posted at https://osf.io/dax7u/.
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Notes
The residual correlation between brooding and MDD for T2 lifetime ratings was r = 0.24, p = 0.002. The association between brooding and the internalizing factor at T2 was r = 0.51, p < 0.001.
References
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ZAS designed and executed the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. CCC collaborated on the design, data analysis, and editing of the final manuscript. LRS is the project principal investigator; collaborated on the design, writing, and editing of the final manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Shaw, Z.A., Conway, C.C. & Starr, L.R. Distinguishing Transdiagnostic versus Disorder-Specific Pathways between Ruminative Brooding and Internalizing Psychopathology in Adolescents: A Latent Variable Modeling Approach. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 49, 1319–1331 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00714-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00714-8