Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Amanda J. Rose

Abstract

Prior to this study, understanding the impact of rumination as a moderating factor in predicting the interaction between specific domains of stress and adolescent depression remained largely unknown. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of response style theory of depression, control mastery theory, and diasthesis stress model, the purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to examine the link between five domains of adolescent stress (i.e., school, family, peers, appearance, and sports) and depression, the relationship between rumination and depression, and the moderating effect of rumination on these relationships. Participants included previously data collected from 635 adolescents from a midwestern U.S.city. Data were analyzed using correlations and multiple regression with moderation to address research questions regarding the extent to which each of the five domains of adolescent stress predicted depression in adolescence, the extent to which rumination predicted depression, and the extent to which rumination moderates these relationships. Results indicated that each domain of stress was correlated with depression, a significant relationship between rumination and depression in adolescence existed, and rumination moderated the relationship between stress and depression in family stress, peer stress, and appearance stress, with each increasingly related to depression as rumination levels increased. Ruminaton did not moderate the relation in school stress or sports stress. Findings support existing literature in that different domains of stress can differentially predict adolescent depressive symptoms. The implications for positive social change include the application of findings to targeted intervention strategies therapeutic techniques by specific domains of stress.

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