Rumination selectively mediates the association between actual-ideal (but not actual-ought) self-discrepancy and anxious and depressive symptoms
Dickson, JM; Moberly, NJ; Huntley, CD
Date: 4 June 2019
Journal
Personality and Individual Differences
Publisher
Elsevier for International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID)
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Actual-ideal and actual-ought self-discrepancies have been theorised to be independently
associated with depressive and anxious symptoms respectively. This study tested this
prediction and extended it to consider whether rumination mediates these relationships. One
hundred and thirty-eight students (48 males, 90 females) listed four ...
Actual-ideal and actual-ought self-discrepancies have been theorised to be independently
associated with depressive and anxious symptoms respectively. This study tested this
prediction and extended it to consider whether rumination mediates these relationships. One
hundred and thirty-eight students (48 males, 90 females) listed four adjectives describing how
they would ideally hope to be and four adjectives describing how they ought to be.
Participants then rated how distant they perceived themselves to be from each of their ideal
and ought selves, as well as the importance of each ideal and ought self. Finally, participants
self-reported levels of negative rumination, anxious and depressive symptoms. Actual-ideal
self-discrepancy was independently associated with both anxious and depressive symptoms,
whereas actual-ought self-discrepancy was independently associated with anxious symptoms
only. Rumination mediated the independent relationships between actual-ideal selfdiscrepancy and anxious and depressive symptoms. Actual-ought self-discrepancy retained an
independent association with anxious symptoms that was not mediated through rumination.
Anxious and depressive symptoms both have independent associations with actual-ideal selfdiscrepancies, whereas anxious symptoms are uniquely associated with actual-ought selfdiscrepancies. We reveal further evidence for rumination as a cognitive-motivational
transdiagnostic process linking self-regulatory difficulties with anxious and depressive
symptoms.
Psychology - old structure
Collections of Former Colleges
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