Childhood and adult sexual abuse, rumination on sadness, and dysphoria.
OBJECTIVE
The study addressed the hypothesis that adults reporting sexual abuse are more likely to exhibit a general tendency to ruminate on sadness. The relations between reported abuse, rumination on sadness, and dysphoria were also examined.


METHODS
Undergraduate students (101 women and 100 men) reported on childhood and adult sexual abuse and instances of intimidation, as well as completing the Rumination on Sadness Scale [Journal of Personality Assessment 75 (2000) 404] and the Beck Depression Inventory [Depression: Clinical, Experimental, and Theoretical Aspects, Harper & Row, New York].


RESULTS
Participants who reported more abuse were more likely to report rumination on sadness. Both reports of abuse and of rumination were linked to dysphoria. Overall, causal modeling indicated that two models were equally effective in accounting for the data: (a) victimization leads to dysphoria, with this relation being partly mediated by rumination and (b) victimization leads to dysphoria, which in turn leads to rumination. Both models are consistent with prior research. For men considered separately, both models were equally effective. For women, model a best accounted for the data.


CONCLUSIONS
One of the pathways by which victimization may lead to depression in adulthood is by encouraging the development of a tendency to ruminate on sadness. Alternatively, victimization may lead to depression by other means, and the experienced depression or dysphoria may foster rumination.
Conway
Michael
M
Department of Psychology and Center for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montreal, Que., Canada H4B 1R6.
Mendelson
Morris
M
Giannopoulos
Constantina
C
Csank
Patricia A R
PA
Holm
Susan L
SL
D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires