Cognitive control moderates the association between stress and rumination

De Lissnyder, Evi; Koster, Ernst H. W.; Goubert, Liesbet; Onraedt, Thomas; Vanderhasselt, Marie–Anne; De Raedt, Rudi · 2011 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2011.07.004

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Summary

This prospective study investigates whether individual differences in cognitive control ability moderate the relationship between stressful events and rumination. While rumination is often viewed as a stable trait or a reaction to stress, recent theories suggest that impaired cognitive control—specifically the inability to switch attention away from negative internal thoughts—may predispose individuals to ruminate when faced with stressors. The authors aimed to test this hypothesis using a longitudinal design to establish temporal precedence, distinguishing between the maladaptive "depressive brooding" and the more adaptive "reflective pondering" subtypes of rumination. The study recruited 37 first-year university students who had never been depressed. At baseline, participants completed the Internal Switch Task (IST), a measure of cognitive control involving switching attention between mental representations held in working memory. The IST assessed switching costs for both non-emotional (gender) and emotional (neutral vs. angry faces) stimuli. Six weeks later, during the students' first examination period, participants completed self-report questionnaires weekly for four weeks to assess the occurrence of adverse life events (stressors), rumination levels, and depressive symptoms. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze whether baseline switch costs predicted the association between stress and subsequent rumination. The results indicated that impaired cognitive control for emotional material significantly moderated the link between stress and rumination. Specifically, individuals with larger switch costs for emotional stimuli exhibited a stronger association between stress and increased total rumination scores. This effect was specific to depressive brooding; larger switch costs for emotional material significantly predicted increased depressive brooding in response to stress, whereas no such moderation was found for reflective pondering or for switch costs related to non-emotional material. Additionally, the study found no valence-specific effects, meaning the difficulty in switching from negative to neutral information did not differ significantly from switching from neutral to negative information in predicting rumination. These findings support the hypothesis that impaired cognitive control is a risk factor for rumination, particularly the maladaptive depressive brooding subtype, when individuals encounter stress. The study contributes to the understanding of a reciprocal relationship between cognitive control and rumination, suggesting that deficits in switching internal mental representations exacerbate psychological distress. This has clinical implications, indicating that interventions aimed at strengthening cognitive control, such as cognitive training regimes, may help reduce rumination and lower the risk of developing depressive symptoms.

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• executive function