Руминация опосредует связь между когнитивным стилем «угрозы» и депрессией, но не влияет на тревожность

Rumination has a mediating effect on the relationship between looming cognitive style (LCS) and depression, but does not mediate the relationship between LCS and anxiety, according to study findings published in Cognitive Therapy and Research. Looming cognitive style comprises mental simulation and cognitive expectancy, in which individuals with LCS anticipate that potential threats will escalate rapidly, rather than perceiving threats as stable or gradual. Few studies have directly tested the relationship between LCS and rumination. Researchers conducted a prospective, longitudinal study to evaluate whether rumination mediates LCS, anxiety, and depression. Interventions that target [looming cognitive style] upstream of ruminative processing may therefore offer a more comprehensive approach to treating comorbid presentations than those focused on either disorder in isolation. Eligible study participants were undergraduate students at George Mason University, US, and were aged between 18 and 60 years. Researchers used the Looming Maladaptive Style Questionnaire-Revised (LMSQ-R), 10-item Ruminative Responses Scale-Short Form (RRS-SF), and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) to assess LCS/anxiety-specific cognitive vulnerability, intensity of rumination, and anxiety/depression, respectively. These assessments were given to participants at 2 time points: time 1 (t1; baseline) and 2 (t2; follow-up), which were 6 weeks apart. At t1, participants completed a personal data sheet, the LMSQ-R, the BSI, and the RRS-SF subscales, while at t2, participants completed only the BSI subscale. Participants responded to the BSI instrument at a follow-up survey. A total of 247 participants (mean age, 22.02 years; n=190 women; 60.7% White) were selected for final analysis. Researchers noted the following correlations between LCS, rumination, anxiety, and depression as significantly positive at baseline (t1) and follow-up (t2): - Baseline: - LCS and rumination and anxiety (r, 0.254) - LCS and rumination and depression (r, 0.220) - Rumination and anxiety (r, 0.441) - Rumination and depression (r, 0.450) - Follow-up: - LCS and rumination and anxiety (r, 0.275), - LCS and rumination and depression (r, 0.237) - Rumination and anxiety (r, 0.325) - Rumination and depression (r, 0.414; all P <.001) Additionally, researchers found that there was a significant positive correlation between LCS and rumination (r, 0.273; P <.001). In the mediation model, baseline anxiety affected anxiety at follow-up (β, 0.45; P <.001), baseline depression affected depression at follow-up (β, 0.41; P <.001), LCS had a direct effect on anxiety at follow-up (β, 0.13; P <.05), rumination had a direct effect on depression at follow-up (β, 0.21; P <.001), and LCS directly affected rumination (β, 0.15; P <.05). Researchers found that these relationships indicated that LCS affected anxiety directly, but affected depression through rumination. Study limitations include recruiting only a non-clinical college student sample, which may limit the generalizability of these findings; the 2-wave design limits direct analysis of how rumination mediates LCS, depression, and anxiety; and potential alternative causal interpretations or confounding variables. The study investigators concluded, “Interventions that target [looming cognitive style] upstream of ruminative processing may therefore offer a more comprehensive approach to treating comorbid presentations than those focused on either disorder in isolation.” References: Riskind J, Altan-Atalay A. Tracing the path from looming cognitive style to depression: the mediating role of rumination. Cognit Ther Res. Published online July 23, 2026. doi:10.1007/s10608-026-10771-w