Self-ambivalence and affective symptoms: reciprocal associations and indirect effects via self-focused attention

Previous research has shown that individuals can simultaneously hold positive and negative self-evaluations, a phenomenon known as self-ambivalence (Bhar & Kyrios, 2007). Elevated self-ambivalence has been consistently associated with greater affective symptoms, including depressive symptoms and negative affect. However, the longitudinal associations between self-ambivalence and affective symptoms, as well as the role of self-focused attention in these associations, remain unclear. This two-wave longitudinal study examined reciprocal associations between three dimensions of self-ambivalence, namely self-worth, moral, and public self-ambivalence, and affective symptoms. We also conducted parallel half-longitudinal indirect-effect analyses to examine whether self-rumination and self-reflection showed indirect associations linking T1 self-ambivalence to T2 affective symptoms. A total of 451 participants completed the baseline assessment, and 338 provided valid data at the three-month follow-up. Cross-lagged panel models revealed bidirectional associations between self-ambivalence and affective symptoms: higher self-ambivalence predicted increased affective symptoms over time, and affective symptoms also predicted subsequent increases in self-ambivalence. Parallel half-longitudinal indirect-effect analyses further showed that self-rumination indirectly linked all three dimensions of self-ambivalence to higher affective symptoms. Self-reflection showed significant negative indirect associations for moral and public self-ambivalence, such that higher reflection was associated with fewer affective symptoms. Moreover, the indirect associations through self-rumination were consistently stronger than those through self-reflection. Overall, these findings suggest that self-ambivalence and affective symptoms are reciprocally related over time, with ruminative self-focus playing a particularly salient role in their association.