The impact of depression and culture on responses to intrusive autobiographical memories: Cognitive appraisals, cognitive avoidance, and brooding rumination

Does culture moderate the relationships between rumination and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression?

Brooding rumination is positively associated with symptoms of both depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, non-clinical cross-cultural research indicates that culture may influence these associations. This study aimed to examine the moderating effect of cultural group (Australian versus Malaysian) on the associations between brooding rumination and symptoms of depression and PTSD. European Australians (n = 109) and Malaysians of varying Asian heritages (n = 144) completed an online questionnaire containing the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, PTSD checklist for DSM-5 and the Ruminative Response Scale-Short Form. First, Malaysian participants had higher brooding rumination than Australian participants. Second, higher levels of brooding rumination were positively associated with depression and PTSD symptom severity. Third, contrary to our expectations, cultural group did not moderate the relationships between brooding rumination and symptoms of depression and PTSD. If replicable, these results suggest that existing assessment and treatment approaches that target brooding rumination may apply to Malaysian individuals with depression and PTSD.

Cross-cultural exploration of the characteristics, content and themes of intrusive autobiographical memories recalled during depression

The recall of intrusive memories is highly prevalent during depression. While past research has examined memory themes and characteristics (e.g., frequency), possible cultural differences in these variables have not been investigated. Furthermore, cross-cultural research has documented content differences in voluntary autobiographical remembering, but such content analyses have not been conducted in regard to intrusive memories. This study, therefore, investigated the characteristics, content and themes of intrusive memories using a 2 (group: European Australian, East Asian) × 2 (depression: depressed, control) cross-sectional design. European Australian (n = 46) and East Asian (n = 45) participants living in Australia reported two memories in real-time using an online memory diary and rated the characteristics of their memories. East Asian participants reported more frequent and distressing memories, compared to European Australians, while the European Australian group reported more specific memories than the East Asian group. Most of the characteristics, themes and content variables, however, did not differ between cultural groups. Additionally, depressed participants, regardless of cultural group, reported more frequent, distressing and numbing memories, compared to healthy controls. These findings suggest that while depressive symptomatology impacts the experience of intrusive memories, memory content and characteristics are largely similar across the two cultural groups.