Rumination and Co-Rumination and their Associations with Alcohol-Related Problems and Depressive Symptoms among College Students

The college years are a time of significant upheaval, including changes in social relationships and dramatic increases in the development of depressive symptoms and alcohol-related problems. Research has identified that individuals’ tendencies to dwell on stressful events, both cognitively (rumination) and interpersonally (co-rumination), are independent risk factors for depressive symptoms and alcohol-related problems; however, pathways linking these processes are largely unexamined. The current study evaluated the tendency to focus excessively on problems in intra and inter-individual contexts and its relation to maladaptive outcomes in a diverse sample of college-aged emerging adults. Participants included 298 (73% female) undergraduate students who took part in an online survey. Students completed self-report questionnaires assessing co-rumination, rumination, depressive symptoms and alcohol-related problems. There was a significant indirect effect of co-rumination on both depressive symptoms and alcohol-related problems via its link to rumination. The current study adds to a growing literature demonstrating that overfocusing on problems within friendships may increase the likelihood of rumination, leading, in turn, to mental health and substance use problems among college-aged adults.