The Moderation Effect Of Rumination In Relationship Between Stress And Depressive\Anxious Symptoms In High School Students: A Multiwave Longitudinal Study

Objective:(1) to test the moderation effects of three types of rumination; (2) to examine whether anxious symptoms affect the moderation effects of three types of rumination on the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms; (3) to examine whether depressive symptoms affect the moderation effects of three types of rumination on the relationship between stress and anxious symptoms; (4) to examine whether neurotic personality affects the moderation effects of three types of rumination.Methods:In the longitudinal study,618 high school students completed the following 6 scales at initial assessment to assess depressive symptoms, anxious symptoms, life events, brooding and reflection, rumination to stress and neurotic personality:(1)CES-D, (2) MASC, (3) ALEQ-R, (4)RRS, (5)RS-RSQ and (6)FFI-N. Researchers returned to the schools to meet with students every three months for the subsequent 24 months (i.e.,3months,6 months,9 months,12 months,15 months,18 months,21 months and 24 months). At each of these follow-up assessments, students completed each of the following questionnaires:(1) CES-D, (2) MASC, (3) ALEQ-R. Rumination-stress models for depressive/anxious symptoms were tested by hierarchical linear model (HLM).Results:(1) among four kinds of life events, the score of academic events was the highest, followed by friendship events, family events and romantic events. One-way ANOVA showed significant differences among the scores of four kind life events; post-hoc comparison revealed that only the difference between family and romantic events was not significant. (2) Before controlling the effects of anxious symptoms and neurotic personality, six moderation effects were significant as follows:academic events×rumination reactive to stress (β= 0.61, F(1,3080)= 4.08, p< 0.05), friendship events×rumination reactive to stress(β= 0.94, F(1,3341)= 5.77, p< 0.05), academic events×brooding (β= 0.86, F(1,3376)= 8.23, p< 0.01), friendship events×brooding (β= 1.22, F(1,3582)= 12.18, p< 0.001), family events×brooding (β= 1.19, F(1,3584)= 6.39, p< 0.05), academic events×reflection (β= 0.60, F(1,3376)= 4.03, p< 0.05). (3) After controlling the effect of anxious symptoms, four moderation effects were significant as follows:friendship events×rumination reactive to stress (β= 0.82, F(1,3245)= 5.63, p< 0.05), academic events×brooding (β= 0.59, F(1,3290)= 5.46, p< 0.05), friendship events×brooding =β0.79, F(1,3477)= 6.63, p< 0.05), academic events×reflection (β= 1.52, F(1,3449)= 5.16, p< 0.05). (4) After controlling the effects of anxious symptoms and neurotic personality, the four moderation effects were also significant (p< 0.05). (5) Before controlling the effects of depressive symptoms and neurotic personality, just the interaction of friendship events and brooding was significant (β= 0.64, F(1,3290)= 6.47, p< 0.05). (6)After controlling the effect of depressive symptoms, the interaction of friendship events and brooding was not significant yet (β= 0.53, F(1,3377)= 0.89, p> 0.05). (7) After controlling the effect of neurotic personality, the interaction of friendship events and brooding was still significant (β= 1.52, F(1,3208)= 4.63,p< 0.05).Conclusion:(1) The most frequent life events high school students experienced were academic and friendship events. (2) The results that rumination moderated the relationship between academic/friendship events and depressive symptoms provided supports to the rumination-stress model of depressive symptoms. (3) The results that none of three types of rumination moderated the relationship between academic/family/romantic events and anxious symptoms did not support the rumination-stress model of anxious symptoms. (4) Anxious symptoms could not influence the moderation effects of rumination on the relationship between life events and depressive symptoms. (5) Depressive symptoms could affect the moderation effect of brooding on the relationship between friendship events and anxious symptoms. (6) Neurotic personality did not influence the moderation effect of rumination on the relationship between life events and depressive/anxious symptoms.