Underlying Structure of Ruminative Thinking: Factor Analysis of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire

The Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire (RTSQ) is a 20-item measure assessing a single dimension of rumination over and above valence, temporal orientation of thought content, and the cognitive-affective context in which it occurs. The current study examined the factor structure of rumination as...

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Main Authors: Tanner, Alicia, Voon, David, Hasking, Penelope, Martin, Graham
Format: Journal Article
Published: Springer New York 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20878
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author Tanner, Alicia
Voon, David
Hasking, Penelope
Martin, Graham
author_facet Tanner, Alicia
Voon, David
Hasking, Penelope
Martin, Graham
author_sort Tanner, Alicia
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire (RTSQ) is a 20-item measure assessing a single dimension of rumination over and above valence, temporal orientation of thought content, and the cognitive-affective context in which it occurs. The current study examined the factor structure of rumination as measured by the RTSQ, and whether findings of its initial validation study could be replicated within an adolescent sample (N = 2,362). An exploratory factor analysis and a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis were undertaken on two subsamples (n = 1,181) which did not significantly differ in gender and age. Five items with factor loadings of <.50 or cross loadings of >.30 on a second factor were removed. As hypothesised, an exploratory factor analysis on the final 15items demonstrated the RTSQ was comprised of four rumination subcomponents, labelled ‘‘Problem-Focused Thoughts’’, ‘‘Counterfactual Thinking’’, ‘‘Repetitive Thoughts’’, and ‘‘Anticipatory Thoughts’’. A confirmatory factor analysis supported this, contrary to the initial validation study. Each of these subscales had differential contributions to psychological distress and coping styles in separate multiple regressions. Our findings support the increasing body of evidence suggesting a multidimensional structure for rumination, and clinical implications are noted.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-208782017-09-13T13:51:03Z Underlying Structure of Ruminative Thinking: Factor Analysis of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire Tanner, Alicia Voon, David Hasking, Penelope Martin, Graham The Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire (RTSQ) is a 20-item measure assessing a single dimension of rumination over and above valence, temporal orientation of thought content, and the cognitive-affective context in which it occurs. The current study examined the factor structure of rumination as measured by the RTSQ, and whether findings of its initial validation study could be replicated within an adolescent sample (N = 2,362). An exploratory factor analysis and a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis were undertaken on two subsamples (n = 1,181) which did not significantly differ in gender and age. Five items with factor loadings of <.50 or cross loadings of >.30 on a second factor were removed. As hypothesised, an exploratory factor analysis on the final 15items demonstrated the RTSQ was comprised of four rumination subcomponents, labelled ‘‘Problem-Focused Thoughts’’, ‘‘Counterfactual Thinking’’, ‘‘Repetitive Thoughts’’, and ‘‘Anticipatory Thoughts’’. A confirmatory factor analysis supported this, contrary to the initial validation study. Each of these subscales had differential contributions to psychological distress and coping styles in separate multiple regressions. Our findings support the increasing body of evidence suggesting a multidimensional structure for rumination, and clinical implications are noted. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20878 10.1007/s10608-012-9492-1 Springer New York restricted
spellingShingle Tanner, Alicia
Voon, David
Hasking, Penelope
Martin, Graham
Underlying Structure of Ruminative Thinking: Factor Analysis of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire
title Underlying Structure of Ruminative Thinking: Factor Analysis of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire
title_full Underlying Structure of Ruminative Thinking: Factor Analysis of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire
title_fullStr Underlying Structure of Ruminative Thinking: Factor Analysis of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire
title_full_unstemmed Underlying Structure of Ruminative Thinking: Factor Analysis of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire
title_short Underlying Structure of Ruminative Thinking: Factor Analysis of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire
title_sort underlying structure of ruminative thinking: factor analysis of the ruminative thought style questionnaire
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20878