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. 2009 Dec;16(4):315-27.
doi: 10.1177/1073191109340388. Epub 2009 Aug 10.

Brooding and pondering: isolating the active ingredients of depressive rumination with exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling

Michael F Armey  1 , David M Fresco, Michael T Moore, Douglas S Mennin, Cynthia L Turk, Richard G Heimberg, Jelena Kecmanovic, Lauren B Alloy
Affiliations

Brooding and pondering: isolating the active ingredients of depressive rumination with exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling

Michael F Armey et al. Assessment. 2009 Dec.

Abstract

Depressive rumination, as assessed by Nolen-Hoeksema's Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ), predicts the onset, chronicity, and duration of depressed mood. However, some RSQ items contain depressive content and result in a heterogeneous factor structure. After the a priori elimination of items potentially confounded with depressed item content, Treynor, Gonzalez, and Nolen-Hoeksema identified two factors within the remaining RSQ rumination sub-scale that were differentially related to depression: brooding and pondering. However, Treynor et al. used a nonstandard form and administration of the RSQ. The present study sought to address these methodological idiosyncrasies and replicate the factor structure of Treynor et al. through exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings support the brooding and pondering solution and demonstrate that brooding relates more strongly to depression and anxiety than does pondering.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study 2 structural model for a general college student sample. *Path statistically significant at p < .05. Note. Correlations among the MASQ subscales and between the MASQ subscales and the BDI were removed for clarity. See Table 2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Study 3 structural model for college students at risk for depression. *Path statistically significant at p < .05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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