Co-rumination and co-problem solving in the daily lives of adolescents with major depressive disorder

Jennifer M. Waller, Jennifer S. Silk, Lindsey B. Stone, Ronald E. Dahl

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective This study examines differences in the prevalence and nature of co-rumination during real-world social interactions with peers and parents among adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) compared to healthy controls. Method A total of 60 youth (29 with current MDD and 31 controls without psychopathology) completed a self-report measure of co-rumination and a 3-week ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol that measured the nature of face-to-face social interactions with peers and parents after a negative event in the adolescents' daily lives. Specifically, EMA was used to assess rates of problem talk, including both co-rumination and co-problem solving. Group differences in self-report and EMA measures were examined. Results Adolescents with MDD reported co-ruminating more often than adolescents with no Axis 1 disorders during daily interactions with both parents (Cohen's d = 0.78) and peers (d = 1.14), and also reported more co-rumination via questionnaire (d = 0.58). Adolescents with MDD engaged in co-problem solving with peers less often than did healthy controls (d = 0.78), but no group differences were found for rates of co-problem solving with parents. Conclusions Results are consistent with previous research linking co-rumination and depression in adolescence and extend these self-report-based findings to assessment in an ecologically valid context. Importantly, the results support that MDD youth tend to co-ruminate more and to problem-solve less with peers in their daily lives compared to healthy youth, and that co-rumination also extends to parental relationships. Interventions focused on decreasing co-rumination with peers and parents and improving problem-solving skills with peers may be helpful for preventing and treating adolescent depression.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)869-878
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume53
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2014

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Keywords

  • co-rumination
  • depression
  • ecological momentary assessment
  • problem solving

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