Degree Name

MA (Master of Arts)

Program

Psychology

Date of Award

8-2024

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Rachel Miller-Slough

Committee Members

Natasha Gouge, Diana Morelen

Abstract

Two risk factors for anxiety and depression in adolescence were examined: co-rumination, which occurs when friends excessively talk about problems; and psychological inflexibility, which occurs when one avoids negative feelings and fails to act on values. I hypothesized that psychological inflexibility would exacerbate the effect of co-rumination on adolescent anxiety and depression. Participants were 167 adolescents (Mage = 14.60 years, SD = 1.3; 65.7% cisgender males) who completed standard measures as part of an online survey. Results indicated no moderation effect, but there were main effects of co-rumination and psychological inflexibility on depression symptoms. Co-rumination may relate to higher depression symptoms by reinforcing a focus on stressors. Adolescents exhibiting psychological inflexibility may exacerbate symptoms by avoiding growth opportunities and perseverating on negative emotions. Results call for more research on co-rumination and psychological inflexibility as well as clinical interventions. Limitations include using cross-sectional, self-report methodology.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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