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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-5955 |
| Date | 01 August 2024 |
| Creators | Parigger, John |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright by the authors. |
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