Comparison of brooding and reflection rumination between people with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Rumination is one of the most significant symptoms of several mental illnesses. Notwithstanding the prevalence of rumination, differentiation of its subtypes among various clinical populations has been paid less attention. To illuminate this issue, we applied the ruminative response scale (RRS) for comparing brooding and reflection rumination between people with major depressive disorder (MDD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Brooding is defined as passive and judgmental pondering of one’s mood, and reflection as contemplative, intentional pondering of one’s mood with a focus on problem-solving. Each of these subtypes of rumination yield different outcomes in cognition, which in turn demonstrates the paramount importance of studying them separately. Out independent samples t-tests analysis illustrated a significant difference in brooding between the groups. Nonetheless, the two groups did not show any difference in reflection. Considering the mean difference of brooding between the groups (M = ۱۵.۴۲ for people with MDD and M = ۱۳.۴۹ for people with OCD), it can be concluded that the difficulty in problem-solving ability and episodic memory specificity problems in depressed population might be, in a part, due to the more intense brooding that they experience. Furthermore, brooding enhances the low mood experienced by individuals who suffer from MDD. In therapy sessions, therefore, clinical psychologists should target subtypes of rumination among mood and anxiety disorders if they wish to complete therapy more efficiently and methodically.

Keywords:

Brooding , Reflection , Depression , Obsessive-compulsive disorder