Reductive mechanisms for repetitive negative thinking: Exploring predictors in clinical and nonclinical samples

Abstract

Purpose: Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a major public health concern (Nocket al., 2008; Bentum et al., 2017), and is key to the development of a variety ofdysregulated behaviours (Jungmann et al., 2016; Bergen et al., 2012). Thus, thisthesis aims to investigate reductive mechanisms for repetitive negative thinking byanalysing predictor variables in clinical and non-clinical samples. In addition, this studyalso aims to examine the nature of RNT contents in highly religious individuals, and toexamine perceived reductive mechanisms for RNT in highly religious clinical samples.Design/methodology/approach: A Sequential Explanatory Design (SED) was used.This implements a quantitative design followed by a qualitative one. Quantitativemeans of data collection and analysis were used to explore RNT, psychologicalflourishing, self-compassion, perceived control, and neuroticism. In total, 530 adultstook part in this study (236 males, 253 females and 15 transgender people).Participants consisted of clinical (N = 168) and non-clinical samples (N = 336) whocompleted the Midlife in the United States Sense of Control Scale (MIDUS) (Lachmanand Weaver, 1998), 20-item Neuroticism Scale (Goldberg, 1999), a Self-CompassionScale (Neff, 2003a), a Flourishing Scale (Diener et al., 2009), and the RepetitiveNegative Thinking Questionnaire-10 (McEvoy et al., 2010). A follow-up of a SequentialExplanatory Design (SED) was maintained following the completion of the quantitativestudy. Qualitative clinical case studies with five women were conducted. Participantswere highly religious, with mental health comorbidities, and severe RNT. Case studyinterviews were conducted with a semi-structured interview schedule. InterpretativePhenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data.Findings: Participants who experienced high levels of psychological flourishing, selfcompassion, and perceived control, experienced minimal RNT. Neuroticism waspositively correlated with RNT. These findings suggest that psychological flourishing,self-compassion, perceived control, and neuroticism may aid the reduction ormanagement of clinical and non-clinical repetitive negative thinking. In addition, someindividuals from religious populations may experience RNT content that is like that ofthe general population. In the qualitative study, it was found that highly religious clinicalsamples may make sense of their experiences of RNT in similar ways and may sharesimilar aetiological perceptions of RNT. In addition, loneliness/socialexclusion/withdrawal, insomnia/idiopathic hypersomnia, emotional dysregulation,dysregulated behaviours, fatigue/severe migraine, adverse experiences, and attentiondeficit, were linked to the experience of RNT. Furthermore, religion, creative art,listening to music, positive emotions, relaxation, and integrative interventions werelinked to the control and management of RNT