Gender difference in rumination subtypes connecting to depression

The prevalence of depression is higher in women than in men. This may be because women are more prone to rumination. However, there is a lack of evidence about which rumination symptoms are most strongly associated with depression in women. According to the network theory of mental disorders, the complex interaction between different subtypes of rumination and depressive symptoms is confusing. We utilized the network analysis method to examine the connection between different subtypes of rumination and depressive symptoms across different gender groups and to investigate gender differences in rumination-depression networks.

798 Chinese university students (50.5% males and 49.5% females) completed The Rumination Response Scale (RRS) and The Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II) scales via an online survey platform for this study. The networks were analyzed and built with scale dimensions as nodes.

The line graph indicates that the B (Brooding) and N (Negative attitude) nodes had the highest BEI values in the female group, whereas the R (Reflection) and N nodes had the highest BEI values in the male group.

The findings revealed that males and females in the rumination-depression network had distinct rumination bridge nodes (male: Reflection; female: Brooding) but had a common depression bridge node (Negative attitude). The connection between different types of rumination and depressive symptoms was more pronounced in the female network. The findings enhance comprehension of gender disparities in the co-occurrence of rumination and depression, offering specific subtypes for targeted intervention in rumination.