The Role of Resilience and Ruminative Tendencies on Emerging Adults’ Mental Health Outcomes

Resilience is consistently linked to better mental health among emerging adults. However, less is known about the psychological processes that may explain this association, particularly in lower-middle-income contexts. This study examined whether ruminative brooding and reflection help explain associations between resilience and symptoms of depression and anxiety among 1,709 Filipino emerging adults (Mean age = 21.86, SD = 2.83) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the measurement models, and structural equation modeling tested direct and indirect associations while controlling for gender, age, and educational attainment. Resilience was negatively associated with both brooding and reflection. However, only brooding was positively associated with depression and anxiety. Resilience was also indirectly associated with lower depression and anxiety through reduced brooding, but not reflection. These findings suggest that resilience may support mental health partly by limiting maladaptive brooding, highlighting resilience-building and brooding-focused strategies as potentially useful during periods of heightened stress and uncertainty.