Rumination as a transdiagnostic process: The role of rumination in relation to antisocial and borderline symptoms

Psychopathy and Impairments in Emotion Regulation: A systematic review and Meta-analysis

Considering the sparse but rapidly growing literature concerning the relationship between psychopathy and emotion regulation, taking stock of accumulating knowledge in a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing results is needed. We performed a systematic search (up to May 30, 2024) following PRISMA guidelines of five scientific databases (PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science). Also, gray literature was searched. After removing the duplicates, a total of 8.786 records were screened, and 73 articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria used for systematic review. The meta-analytic procedure was performed on 55 identified studies consistent with the criteria adopted, which overall comprised 29.856 individuals. The current systematic and meta-analysis review has clarified the association between impairments of emotional regulation abilities and facets of psychopathy. More specifically, analyses indicated that emotional dysregulation is associated with overall levels of psychopathic traits, as well as with both the lifestyle and affective components of psychopathy, which suggests the utility of assessing these features when designing interventions focused on modulating negative emotional states and enhancing regulation of impulsive behaviors.

What is high rumination?

OBJECTIVE

The current paper tries to illuminate the need for standard cutoff points.

INTRODUCTION

rumination is considered to be a transdiagnostic process leading to a variety of consequences. But, what is prominent ruminative tendency? Are there agreed-upon specifications or cutoff points that distinguish between high and low tendency to ruminate? In an attempt to answer these questions, we reviewed 25 works that compared people characterized as high or low in rumination. We found numerous inconsistencies in the characterization criteria and a great variability in cutoff points. Most studies did not provide enough information about the cutoff criteria or values.

METHOD

We examined a sample of 454 participants using the RRS (Ruminative Response Scale), from which we tried to identify standard cutoff points.

RESULTS SHOWED

1) distributions of RRS, brooding and reflective pondering; 2) most studies used median split, which might explain the differences among studies; 3) examination of standard scores for the various cutoffs presented big variability among the studies; and 4) women had higher scores of rumination and brooding than men.

CONCLUSION

Our paper highlights the need for homogeneity in the field. It suggests addressing the RRS, brooding and reflective pondering distributions as references for future studies. We recommend specifying: cutoff criteria, cutoff values, range, means and standard deviations. Researchers should consider the specific population (i.e., men vs. women or clinical vs. non clinical) of interest and infer specific cutoff points accordingly. Importantly, researchers should consider the implications of their choice of cutoff points and apply their criterion accordingly.

Development and Validation of the Five-Factor Borderline Inventory-Super Short Form and Screener

The Five-Factor Borderline Inventory (FFBI) and FFBI-Short Form (FFBI-SF) are 120-item and 48-item measures that assess the underlying maladaptive personality traits of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The purpose of this study was to develop a super short form (FFBI-SSF) and an FFBI-Screener to facilitate the use of dimensional trait measures for BPD. Using item response theory analyses, the 48-item measure was reduced to 22 items using a large undergraduate sample (N = 1300) and then retested using a Mechanical Turk sample (N = 602), demonstrating strong replicability. IRT was again used to further reduce the measure from 22 items to four items to provide a brief screening tool. Correlations of the FFBI-SSF and Screener with measures of BPD-related variables were compared across five samples (N = 919, 204, 580, 281, and 488). Overall, the FFBI-SSF showed similar relations to the FFBI-SF at the full scale and domain-level scales, while the FFBI-screener demonstrated similar relations at the full scale level. This super short form and screener may best be used in large-scale research studies or as part of a screening tool in clinical settings.

Subjective and neural reactivity during savoring and rumination

Repetitive thinking about negative emotions or events is strongly associated with worse mental health, whereas repetitive positive thought is generally believed to be beneficial. This observation is at odds with the idea that all forms of repetitive thinking share underlying neural mechanisms. To resolve this apparent discrepancy, the present study examined relationships between subjective affect and neural mechanisms during periods of sustained processing of positive (savoring) and negative (rumination) emotion. We also examined potential common moderators of savoring and rumination including memory specificity and sleep quality. Results indicated that individuals who experience high positive affect during savoring also are likely to experience more intense negative affect during rumination. fMRI-derived brain activity revealed common mechanisms of rumination and savoring. Memory specificity had common effects on neural correlates of rumination and savoring; sleep quality was not associated with mechanisms of savoring or rumination. These results suggest that repetitive engagement with positive and negative affect is similar both subjectively and mechanistically. Clinical interventions for rumination may benefit from capitalizing on preserved capacity for savoring.

The association between anger rumination and emotional dysregulation in borderline personality disorder: A review

INTRODUCTION

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by impulsiveness, interpersonal difficulties, emotional instability and dysfunctional cognitive processes. In addition to these symptoms, anger rumination is a cognitive mechanism often prominent in BPD patients and it has been found to be associated with maladaptive outcomes, such as increasing anger feelings, aggressive and impulsive behaviors. In this context, the aim of our review is to synthesize results on the relationship between emotional dysregulation and anger rumination in BPD with the final goal to get more information about possible psychotherapeutic methods in the treatment of BPD.

METHODS

A comprehensive search on BPD and anger rumination was performed on PubMed, Embase and Scopus. The search identified 8 articles meeting our inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Most of the studies reported a correlation between BPD emotional instability and dyscontrolled behaviors, anger and depressive rumination. Specifically, from the reviewed studies, it emerged that the tendency to use dysfunctional cognitive strategies, such as anger rumination, predicted aggressive behavior above and beyond emotion dysregulation, ultimately suggesting that anger rumination mediates the relationship between emotional dysregulation and aggression proneness.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design and the inclusion of subjects without a definite diagnosis of BPD (e.g., university students), may have decreased the generalizability of the results to the clinical populations and limited the possibility to explore the effect of anger rumination over time in BPD.

CONCLUSIONS

From the reviewed studies emerged that the identification of anger rumination as a proximal process with respect to BPD may have the potential to expand and support psychotherapeutic treatment.

The mediating effect of anger rumination, coping and conformity motives on the association between hostility and problematic cannabis use

•

The role of anger rumination on cannabis use was examined for the first time.

•

Indirect effects were tested between hostility and cannabis use problems.

•

Single-mediation pathways were shown via anger rumination, and coping motives.

•

Double mediation pathways were shown via anger rumination and coping-, and conformity motives.

Background

Anger rumination is consistently associated with maladaptive psychopathological outcomes. However, there is a lack of research on the association between problematic cannabis use, cannabis use motives and anger rumination. Coping motives showed positive relationships with negative affectivity and emotion dysregulation, thus it might be possible that coping motives can mediate the effects of hostility and anger rumination on problematic cannabis use.

Aims

The goal of the present study was to examine the mediating role of anger rumination and cannabis use motives on the relationship between hostility and problematic cannabis use.

Methods

The cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of 764 past year cannabis users with a risk for problematic cannabis use (Males: 70.42% [N = 538], Age: M = 29.24 [SD = 7.55]). Standardized and online questionnaires measured problematic use and motives of cannabis use, anger rumination and hostility.

Results

Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed mediation model. Four significant indirect effects were identified in the mediation model. The positive effect of hostility on cannabis use problems was mediated (i) via coping motives, (ii) via anger rumination, (iii) via anger rumination and coping motives, and (iv) via anger rumination and conformity motives.

Conclusions

The present study was the first that examined the construct of anger rumination in the context of cannabis use. Possible risk mechanisms via anger rumination and cannabis use motives with negative reinforcement were suggested in the context of problematic cannabis use. Self-medication tendencies and emotion dysregulation processes might explain these pathways.