Perseverative thinking is associated with features of spoken language

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Computational Social Science

Background:

• Perseverative thinking (PT), including rumination and worry, is a key factor in emotional disorders.
• Current PT measures have limitations like bias and reflexivity, necessitating unobtrusive methods.
• Behavioral measures of PT are needed for accurate assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a language-based behavioral measure of PT.
• To explore linguistic correlates of PT in individuals with and without psychopathology.
• To assess the predictive validity of the language-based PT measure for emotional disorders.

Main Methods:

• Developed a language-based model to measure PT using natural language samples from interviews.
• Analyzed linguistic features, including I-usage and negative emotion words, in relation to self-reported PT.
• Used machine learning to evaluate the model's predictive power in a mixed sample (N=188).

Main Results:

• PT was significantly associated with increased I-usage and negative emotion language.
• Language features explained 14% of the variance in self-reported PT.
• The language-based PT measure predicted depression, anxiety, comorbidity, and treatment seeking.

Conclusions:

• Language analysis provides a valid, unobtrusive method for assessing PT.
• This novel measure has potential for passive detection of PT and "just-in-time" interventions.
• Further development could integrate this measure into clinical practice for early detection and support.