Distinguishing worry from rumination in older people: A preliminary investigation

Abstract

Anxiety and depression are common mental health problems in later life. Since worry and rumination are thought to underpin the respective primary cognitive processes in anxiety and depression, we developed a measure to distinguish worry from rumination in later life. The Ruminative Response Scale was adapted to include items that characterise the cognitive features of worry. We examined its properties using 92 clinical and non-clinical participants, aged over 65. Factor analysis demonstrated a three-factor structure: brooding, reflection and worry with internal consistencies of alpha = 0.72, alpha = 0.67 and alpha = 0.55 respectively. We found no evidence for concurrent validity of these factors using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Modest but significant associations between reflection and brooding (r = 0.36) and reflection and worry (r = 0.2) were found. Brooding and worry sub-scales remained unrelated. We suggest that it is possible to distinguish worry from rumination in older people and that differentiating between their key underlying characteristics in the assessment of mood problems may enhance the targeting and evaluation of cognitive-behavioural therapy for anxiety and depression in later life. Future research with a substantial clinical sample is needed to explore the underlying dimensions and correlates of worry in later life.

Rumination and Age: Some Things Get Better

“…By comparing age groups this study builds upon previous work investigating the presence of perseverative thinking in exclusively young or old samples [23] and previous research replicating the association between rumination and depression in older samples without differentiating between ruminative styles [51]. Up to now life satisfaction as a cognitive judgment of well-being in relation to one's own individual standards has not yet been investigated in relation to ruminative response styles.…”

“…Their results support a two-factor model of rumination, which includes the components of reflective pondering and brooding, the latter of which was found to be the key factor in the prediction of depressive symptoms. Brooding “relates to passive and self-critical thoughts comparing one's current situation against a desired standard or goal” [23, page 605], whereas reflection “refers to a more purposeful inward examination and attempt at problem-solving in response to depressed mood” (page 605, [22, 23]). Armey and colleagues [24] replicated these results such that they identified the same two-factor structure as Treynor and colleagues [22] with brooding being more strongly related to depression than pondering.…”

Coping Flexibility and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Older Adults: The Compensatory Effect of Co-rumination

“…Reflection, or so-called active rumination, is oriented to drawing constructive conclusions for the future. Studies demonstrate both constructs to have good construct validity (Treynor et al, 2003; Schoofs et al, 2010; Whitmer and Gotlib, 2011), also in elderly individuals (Rewston et al, 2007; Sütterlin et al, 2012). In seniors, brooding is related to lower life satisfaction and higher depression, while reflection is not related to adjustment (Sütterlin et al, 2012).…”

Depressive symptom clusters among the elderly: a longitudinal study of course and its correlates

“…Therefore, reflection can also be a different, more cognitively advanced, kind of rumination, and so it is often considered (Schoofs et al, 2010). In addition, few studies have explored this differentiation among the elderly (see Rewston, Clarke, Moniz-Cook, & Waddington, 2007).…”