Rumination, Depression, and Alcohol Use: Tests of Gender Differences

We examined the relationships between rumination and depressive symptoms and rumination and alcohol-related coping and problems as a function of gender. Rumination was associated with more depressive symptoms for both women and men in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Similarly, for both women and men, rumination was associated with a greater tendency to turn to alcohol and other drugs to cope in cross-sectional analyses. Longitudinal analyses showed that rumination was a significant predictor of alcohol-related problems in women, but not in men, although the gender difference in the strength of this relationship was not significant. We discuss these results in light of the social conditions and pressures associated with gender role norms.