Depressive Symptoms, Mind Wandering Affective Valence, and Mood: Evidence from Ecological and Laboratory Studies

Depressive symptoms are associated with negatively valenced mind wandering and diminished positive mood. This research aimed to explore the relationships among depressive symptoms, mind wandering, affective valence and mood from the perspective of individual differences. In Study 1, 111 undergraduate students completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II and a seven-day ecological momentary assessment protocol. Individuals with higher depressive symptom levels reported more negatively valenced mind wandering and more negative mood, whereas associations with mind wandering frequency were comparatively weak. Mediation analyses showed that the affective valence of mind wandering statistically accounted for the relationship between depressive symptoms and mood, while mood also statistically accounted for the association between depressive symptoms and thought valence. In Study 2, 80 participants (subthreshold depression vs. healthy control) completed the Sustained Attention to Response Task with thought probes. Compared with healthy controls, participants with subthreshold depression reported more negatively valenced mind wandering and more negative mood, but did not differ in mind wandering frequency. Similar mediation patterns were observed. Across both studies, the findings suggest that the affective valence of mind wandering may represent an important individual-difference correlate of depression-related emotional functioning.