Rose (2002) first defined co-rumination as extensive problem-focused talk, and it has been found to be associated with both depression/anxiety and friendship quality. However, our understanding of co-rumination is limited by an exclusive focus on Western samples of mostly children/adolescents. Thus, the primary aim of the current study is to investigate the construct validity of co-rumination in an Asian sample by examining associations among rumination, co-rumination, emotional adjustment, self-disclosure and friendship quality. We predict that Asians will report lower levels of co-rumination, and we expect gender differences in co-rumination to replicate cross-culturally.
224 Asian students (69 men, 153 women) from universities in Hong Kong and East China and 118 U.S. students (43 men, 75 women) from a private college in the Northwest participated in the study.
Expected gender differences were found. Significant positive relationships emerged between co-rumination, self-disclosure, friendship quality, and rumination in both samples. Asian students reported significantly higher levels of co-rumination but lower levels of self-disclosure. Asians reported higher levels of relational concerns than U.S students. Relational concerns partially mediated cultural differences in self-disclosure but not in co-rumination. Surprisingly, co-rumination was unrelated to adjustment and did not predict unique variance in anxiety/depression beyond the effects of rumination.
The current findings highlight the complexity of co-rumination as an interpersonal process vs. support-seeking functions in Asians. With limited research on co-rumination in emerging adults, it is unknown whether unique sampling issues or a meaningful developmental shift accounts for the lack of associations between co-rumination and anxiety/depression among U.S. students. Regardless, future longitudinal research should incorporate strategies (e.g., observational data, time sampling) that extend beyond self-report. These designs promise to sharpen our understanding as they more fully capture the dynamic forces at play in co-rumination that may vary across time and culture
