RUMINATIVE COPING WITH DEPRESSED MOOD FOLLOWING LOSS

In a longitudinal study of 253 bereaved adults, people with poorer soc ial support, more concurrent stressors, and higher levels of postloss depression reported more rumination than people with better social sup port, fewer stressors, and lower initial depression levels. Women repo rted more rumination than men. People with a ruminative style at 1 mon th were more likely to have a pessimistic outlook at 1 month, which wa s associated with higher depression levels at 6 months. People with a more ruminative style were more depressed at 6 months, even after cont rolling for initial depression levels, social support, concurrent stre ssors, gender, and pessimism. Additional stressors and high depression scores at 1 month were also associated with higher levels of depressi on at 6 months.