Rumination Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A cross-sectional study of the role of rumination in the relationship between the socioeconomic environment and mental health
IRAS ID
226546
Contact name
Aikaterini Panagaki
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancaster University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 8 days
Research summary
There is varied evidence to suggest that the environment one lives in (social, economic, etc.) can affect one’s health and mental health in particular. However, it is still unknown how that happens exactly or why and when. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether these mechanisms operate in the same way across different mental health difficulties. The present study employs a psychosocial approach to mental health to propose that external factors affect psychological processes, which in turn can lead to mental health or illness. In particular, it focuses on the cognitive process of rumination, which is understood as a form of repetitive negative thinking without leading to a solution to the problem and which research has shown to be linked to mental health. As such, the present study suggests that rumination may be one of the mechanisms through which the socioeconomic environment affects mental health. It aims to explore this hypothesis in an integrative way across different mental health conditions in adults with depression, bipolar disorder or psychosis and healthy adults of various socioeconomic backgrounds ranging from deprived to better well-off. In order to do so, the study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods and comprises of two phases. The first phase is a cross-sectional survey (N=121) that uses self-report questionnaires to measure levels of socioeconomic status, rumination and mental health (positive and negative mood, tendency to experience auditory hallucinations). In the second phase, qualitative interviews (N=8-12) are used to explore the personal experience and content of rumination in order to gain some understanding of the processes that cannot be directly observed. Findings of this study could have implications for psychological interventions and prevention of mental illness, as well as for targeting health inequalities.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1342
Date of REC Opinion
20 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion