Hostile Rumination and Depression: A Multi-Informant Perspective

Research question: Hostile rumination (HR), characterized by angry and revenge ideation, is consistently linked to depression from adolescence to adulthood (Caprara et al., 2007). However, previous studies primarily relied on self-reports, neglecting the extent to which other informants, such as friends, could capture HR. Hence, the goal of the present study is threefold: (1) to evaluate the multi-informant (self- and friend-reported) factor structure of HR; (2) to assess the extent to which shared and unique informant perspectives capture HR; and (3) to explore how these shared and unique factors relate to participants’ depression. Methods and Results: We used data from an Italian sample (n=363; age 23–33), including self- and friend-reports of HR (Caprara, 1986), and self-reported depression (CES-D). A trifactor model (Bauer et al., 2013) in which HR’s dimensions of angry and revenge ideation were decomposed into common factors (shared perspective), unique factors (the unique variances of self- and friend-reports), and item-level variability showed good fit with partial metric invariance across informants, χ2(104)=160.172, p<.001, CFI=.97, RMSEA=.04. Notably, only the shared revenge rumination factor was significantly correlated with depression (r =.36, p<.001). Discussion: Findings indicate the importance of multi-informant assessments of HR, as shared perspectives on revenge rumination might represent a core maladaptive trait increasing depression vulnerability. Its socially visible, aggression-oriented expressions might elicit peer rejection and negative affect, favoring the onset of depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of including friend-reports into psychological assessment and suggest that targeting revenge rumination might help reduce the risk of depression.