(PS2-B50) Distress Tolerance and Rumination Predict Longitudinal Changes in Depressive Symptoms

Major depressive disorder is one of the most pervasive and functionally impairing health disorders repeatedly ranked as one of top ten causes of disability and disease burden across the globe. Furthermore, the rates of experiencing depression have increased significantly in young adult cohorts in recent years. Together, these findings indicate a need for research on the cognitive mechanisms associated with depressive symptomatology in young adults. The construct of rumination has been widely studied and implicated in a broad range of internalizing disorders and pathological dysfunction such as the onset and maintenance of depressive symptoms. Despite being defined as a cognitive emotion-regulation process and implicated in models of coping and regulatory strategies, it is unclear as to the extent that rumination is related to other cognitive mechanisms such as distress tolerance, or one’s perceived ability to withstand negative emotional experiences.

Two studies were conducted to explore the role of distress tolerance and its association with rumination in the prediction of changes in depressive symptoms among young adults. Study one utilized a longitudinal design with baseline assessments of distress tolerance, rumination, and depressive symptoms followed by a four-week follow-up assessment of depressive symptoms. Study two employed a similar longitudinal design with baseline assessments of distress tolerance, rumination, and depressive symptoms, extending the follow-up assessment of depressive symptoms to three months post initial participation. Results from both studies indicated several meaningful conceptual associations between distress tolerance, rumination, and depressive symptoms. Specifically, results from study one (N = 100) indicated that there was a significant indirect effect of rumination at the four-week follow-up [IE = -1.00, SE = 0.50; Bias Corrected 95% CI: LL = -2.06, UL = -0.08]. Results from study two (N = 122) indicated that there was a significant indirect effect of rumination at the three-month follow-up [IE = -1.75, SE = 0.88; Bias Corrected 95% CI: LL = -3.89, UL = -0.44]. These findings expand upon existing literature and provide evidence for the role of distress tolerance as a cognitive construct associated with rumination and longitudinal changes in experiencing depressive symptoms. Furthermore, these findings provide utility for the conceptualization of distress tolerance as a cognitive transdiagnostic risk factor that could be targeted in therapeutic settings to increase perceived distress tolerance and, in turn, reduce reliance on maladaptive regulatory strategies such as rumination. Despite these findings, limitations do exist. Specifically, both studies utilize college students and are predominantly White samples, limiting generalizability to other ethnic/racial groups and young adults who are not attending college. Future research should focus on utilizing a more representative sample of diverse individuals who may or may not be seeking out higher education.