Repetitive Negative Thinking Predicts Depressed Mood at 3-Year Follow-up in Students

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT; e.g., rumination and worry) is a key-factor involved in the maintenance of emotional problems
like depression and anxiety. Recently, the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) was developed as a content-independent
measure of RNT. The current study investigated the validity of this new measure in predicting depressive symptoms prospectively.
Eighty-one students completed measures of depressive symptoms, depressive rumination and repetitive negative thinking. Depressive
symptoms were re-assessed 3 years later (40 months follow-up). Results showed that repetitive negative thinking as measured
by the PTQ predicts depressive symptoms at follow-up, even when taking into account baseline depressive symptoms and rumination.
The results suggest that the PTQ has good (prospective) predictive validity for depressed mood and reconfirm RNT’s role in
the course of emotional complaints.