Ruminative response style is associated with a negative bias in the perception of emotional facial expressions in healthy women without a history of clinical depression

Abstract

Background and objectives: Rumination has been shown to be an important cognitive vulnerability factor affecting development and maintenance of depression. Ruminative thinking can be divided into a self-focused component referring to persistent reflection about causes and consequences of depressed mood and a symptom-focused component characterized by repetitive thinking about depressive symptoms. Previous research on clinical depression has shown that rumination is associated with the perception of negative emotions in others' facial expressions. The present study was conducted to investigate the relation between habitual rumination and negative bias in face perception in healthy individuals.

Methods: 100 healthy young women without a history of clinical depression completed the Response Styles Questionnaire along with measures of depressive symptoms, dysfunctional attitudes, and anxiety. A computer-based version of the perception of facial expressions questionnaire using line drawings (schematic faces) was administered to assess perceived emotions in faces with ambiguous and unambiguous emotional expressions.

Results: According to hierarchical regression analyses, symptom-based (but not self-focused) rumination predicted perceived negative emotions in ambiguous as well as in unambiguous negative faces after controlling for current depressive symptoms, state and trait anxiety, intelligence, and dysfunctional attitudes.

Limitations: Generalization of the present findings is limited by the fact that only women were included as study participants.

Conclusions: Habitual ruminating about depressive symptoms in healthy, never clinically depressed individuals goes along with a negative bias in the perception of others' facial expressions. Negatively biasing social perception might be one mechanism by which symptom-focused rumination might increase vulnerability for depression.

Keywords: Depression; Facial emotions; Negative bias; Perception; Rumination; Schematic faces.