title: A construct validation study of the Response Styles Questionnaire Rumination Scale in participants with a recent-onset major depressive episode.
abstract: This study examined the construct validity and clinical utility of S. Nolen-Hoeksema's (1991) Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ) Rumination scale. Eighty-eight participants with recent-onset major depressive episodes were assessed and followed for 6 months, using semistructured interviews and self-report inventories. The RSQ Rumination scale exhibited poor 6-month stability and appeared to be closely linked to participants' clinical status-mood state. The scale was significantly correlated with conceptually related constructs such as emotion-focused coping, negative affectivity-temperament, and self-criticism. However, baseline negative temperament and self-criticism predicted key aspects of the 6-month course and outcome of major depressive episodes, whereas baseline rumination did not. Finally, rumination appeared to be closely associated with the severity of the depressive episode, rather than defining a distinct clinical subtype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, USA. kkasch@psych.stanford.edu
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kasch
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index