Coyne's (1976a, 1976b) interactional theory of depression predicts positive associations between excessive reassurance seeking (ERS) and both depression and interpersonal rejection. A growing body of research has supported the ERS model, but this work has yet to be systematically reviewed. A meta-analysis of 38 studies (N = 6,973) revealed an aggregate effect size (r) of .32 between ERS and concurrent depression. Moderator analyses showed effect sizes were significantly stronger for studies with self-report measures, compared with interviews, and for samples with higher percentages of women and were marginally stronger for studies with community samples, compared with clinical samples. A second meta-analysis of 16 studies yielded a weighted mean effect size of .14 between ERS and concurrent rejection, with studies assessing target-reported rejection showing stronger effect sizes than studies assessing informant-reported rejection and studies examining romantic relationships yielding marginally stronger effect sizes than studies examining nonromantic relationships. Prospective studies are qualitatively reviewed. Results support the ERS model (with several important caveats) but underscore the need for methodological diversity in future research.

Two studies examined associations between social networking and depressive symptoms among youth. In Study 1, 384 participants (68% female; mean age = 20.22 years, SD = 2.90) were surveyed. In Study 2, 334 participants (62% female; M age = 19.44 years, SD = 2.05) were surveyed initially and 3 weeks later. Results indicated that depressive symptoms were associated with quality of social networking interactions, not quantity. There was some evidence that depressive rumination moderated associations, and both depressive rumination and corumination were associated with aspects of social networking usage and quality. Implications for understanding circumstances that increase social networking, as well as resulting negative interactions and negative affect are discussed.

Research suggests the ability to differentiate discrete emotions protects against psychopathology. Little is known about daily processes through which negative and positive emotion differentiation (NED, PED) influence depressive symptomatology. We examined NED and PED as moderators of associations between daily processes (negative/positive experiences, brooding, and savoring) and daily depressive symptoms. Hypotheses were tested using intensive longitudinal techniques in two samples oversampled for depression: 157 young adults (Study 1) and 50 veterans recruited from VA primary care (Study 2). In Study 1, low NED predicted stronger associations between daily brooding and depressive symptoms. In Study 2, low NED predicted stronger reactivity to daily negative events. In both studies, low PED strengthened salutary effects of positive experiences and savoring on symptoms. Largely consistent across demographically divergent samples, results suggest both low NED and PED enhance effects of daily events and perseverative self-focus on fluctuations in depressive symptoms.

Co-rumination, or excessive discussion of problems within friendships, has been associated with internalizing symptoms and is especially prevalent among adolescent girls. Eighty-three early adolescent girls participated in a prospective study further examining this construct. Co-rumination was positively correlated with depressive symptoms and positive aspects of friendship, but did not predict longitudinal changes in depressive symptoms. Co-rumination was negatively related to social anxiety when controlling for depressive symptoms. Co-rumination correlated positively with romantic experiences, and the two interacted to predict longitudinal changes in depressive symptoms, implying that co-rumination may only be depressogenic under certain circumstances. Theoretical ramifications for the construct of co-rumination and interpersonal aspects of adolescent internalizing symptoms are discussed. Keywordsco-rumination; depression; social anxiety; adolescence; friendship; romantic involvement Co-rumination (Rose, 2002) is defined as excessive discussion of problems within friendships, including repeated conversations, conjecture about the causes, and heightened focus on negative emotions. The construct emerged in response to the apparent contradiction that although high quality friendships protect against internalizing symptoms (La Greca & Harrison, 2005), and girls tend to have closer and more disclosing friendships than boys (Furman & Buhrmester, 1992;McNelles & Connolly, 1999), girls remain more vulnerable to internalizing symptoms. Based on the association between rumination and depression (e.g., Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991;Nolen-Hoeksema, Parker, & Larson, 1994), Rose (2002) proposed that co-rumination plays a role in the development of depression and anxiety, and showed that co-rumination is positively correlated with internalizing symptoms in a sample of children and adolescents. Rose also showed that girls co-ruminate more than boys, and that this becomes more pronounced in adolescence, coinciding with the emergence of gender differences in depression (Nolen-Hoeksema & Girgus, 1994). Rose demonstrated that co-rumination is positively correlated with positive friendship quality and closeness, counterintuitively suggesting that certain aspects of closeness in peer relationships may leave youth at risk for internalizing symptoms. In a follow-up to her initial study, Rose and colleagues also showed that co-rumination prospectively predicted increases in depressive symptoms and anxiety (Rose, Carlson, & Waller, 2007).Portions of these results were presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development in Boston, MA.Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production proce...