Rumination is engaging in a passive focus on one's symptoms of distress and
on the possible causes and consequences of these symptoms. Women are more
likely than men to engage in rumination. This study examined whether gender
differences in the following beliefs would mediate the gender difference i
n rumination: the controllability of emotions, the appropriateness of rumin
ation as a coping strategy, responsibility for the emotional tone of relati
onships, and mastery over negative events. The sample was 740 community-dwe
lling adults between 25 and 75 years of age, mho completed a survey by mail
. The combination of beliefs about control of emotions, responsibility for
the emotional tone of relationships, and mastery over negative events fully
mediated the gender difference in rumination. Alternative hypotheses that
the gender difference in rumination was due to gender differences in distre
ss, emotional expressivity, and the tendency to give socially desirable ans
wers were not supported.