Rumination in Interpersonal Relationships: Does Co-rumination Explain Gender Differences in Emotional Distress and Relationship Satisfaction Among College Students?

Abstract

Rose (Child Dev 73:1830-1843, 2002 found evidence that co-rumination accounts for girls' greater emotional distress as well as their greater friendship satisfaction compared to boys. Co-rumination is defined as a passive, repetitive discussion of symptoms or problems with a close other. The present study explored the associations between corumination in various types of close relationships and both emotional distress and relationship satisfaction in college students. First, confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that co-rumination is distinct from depressive rumination. Further, co-rumination with one's closest friend mediated the relationship between gender and both depressive symptoms and friendship satisfaction. Specifically, females reported higher levels of co-rumination with their closest friend, which in turn, predicted their higher levels of depressive symptomatology and friendship satisfaction. In contrast, there were no gender differences in co-rumination in other close relationships, and for the most part, co-rumination in these relationships was not associated with gender differences in emotional distress or relationship satisfaction. Therefore, corumination in close friendships may be particularly important in understanding the higher levels of both depression and relationship satisfaction among females compared to males.

A closer look at co‐rumination: Gender, coping, peer functioning and internalizing/externalizing problems

“…Consistent with past research (Calmes & Roberts, 2008;Rose, 2002;Rose et al, 2007), girls reported engaging in more co-rumination than boys. We also replicated past findings of gender differences in reports of depression and anxiety, with girls reporting significantly higher levels of internalizing symptoms (Rescorla et al, 2007).…”

“…Our study contributes to a small body of research suggesting that co-rumination may be one gender-linked relationship process that helps explain gender differences in internalizing problems (Calmes & Roberts, 2008;Rose & Rudolph, 2006;Rose, 2002;Rose et al 2007). We extend this research in important new directions by examining associations with externalizing problems, aspects of peer relations previously neglected, and individual coping skills within a sample of middle adolescents.…”

Effects of Attachment Representations, Rumination, and Trait Depression on Co-Rumination in Friendships: A Dyadic Analysis

“…In previous studies, co-rumination has been linked to depression (Calmes & Roberts, 2008;Rose, 2002;Rose et al, 2007;Schwartz-Mette & Rose, 2012;Starr & Davila, 2009;Stone, Hankin, Gibb, & Abela, 2011). Co-rumination may lead to depression because it involves a persistent negative focus and impedes activities that could offer distraction from problems (Rose et al, 2007).…”

“…Although rumination and co-rumination are very similar, scholars have examined rumination in comparison to co-rumination in order to substantiate that these two constructs are indeed different from one another (Calmes & Roberts, 2008;Stone et al, 2011;Jose et al, 2012). Jose, Wilkins, and Spendelow (2012) argued that co-rumination and rumination are distinguishable in that rumination is an individual's intrusive thoughts about one's problems, whereas co-rumination is an interpersonal process of discussing problems with others.…”

“…Over the past decade, researchers have learned a great deal about the outcomes of co-rumination with studies producing consistent findings on the adjustment trade-offs (Calmes & Roberts, 2008;Rose, 2002;Rose et al, 2007;Starr & Davila, 2009;Tompkins, Hockett, Abraibesh, & Witt, 2011). Surprisingly, less is known about the predictors of co-rumination.…”