Repetitive Negative Thought, Subjective Stress, and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

Haley Margulies ’25, Biology and Psychology major Juliette Bonchonsky ’26, Psychology major Isabella Glennon ’25, Biology & Psychology major Faculty mentor: Dr. Emily Gentes, Psychology Engagement in repetitive negative thought (RNT) in response to stress may be associated with risk for anxiety and depression. Individuals who engage in rumination following stressful life events are more likely to experience negative affect and symptoms of depression and anxiety (Ruscio et al., 2011). Similarly, worrying after a stressful life event is prospectively associated with increased stress symptoms (Roussis & Wells, 2008). The purpose of the present study is to test whether subjective stress interacts with transdiagnostic trait RNT – or the tendency to engage in RNT in response to distressing situations – and whether these variables predict depression and anxiety symptoms over and above trait negative affect, which is expected to account for a significant amount of the variance in depression and anxiety. One hundred and seventy-one college students completed the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (APA, 2013), the Repetitive Thinking Questionnaire (McEvoy et al., 2010), the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983) and the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ; Watson & Clark, 1991). We conducted separate hierarchical multiple regression models predicting the general distress depression and anxiety subscales of the MASQ, with each predictor entered on its own step. As expected, when trait negative affect was entered on the first step, it accounted for a significant percentage of variance in both depression (R2 = .35) and anxiety (R2 = .35). However, trait RNT (both R2> .13) subjective stress (both R2> .05), and the interaction between stress and trait RNT (both R2> .05) were each associated with depression and anxiety symptoms, above and beyond trait negative affect (all β >.56, all p < .05). Results suggest that trait RNT is more strongly associated with depression and anxiety symptoms at higher levels of subjective stress. It is encouraging that these relationships remained even after trait negative affect explained over one third of the variance in depression and anxiety symptoms. Conclusions from the present study are limited by the use of a college student sample, as well as by the cross-sectional design, which does not allow us to draw conclusions about temporal relationships between variables, and also raises the risk that participants’ current mood impacted their reporting of all variables. However, if replicated, results suggest that trait RNT and subjective stress have the potential to add to our understanding of risk for depression and anxiety.