Adaptation of the Russian version of the Rumination Response Scale

Abstract

Context and relevance. Study of tendency towards ruminant thinking is important in connection with ruminations as a transdiagnostic symptom in various affective and cognitive disorders, deviant behavior, psychosomatic problems. Validity and structure of the Russian version of the Ruminative Response Scale is a matter of debate and needs clarification. Objective. To verify the psychometric characteristics of the Russian version of the 22-point Ruminative Response Scale. Materials and methods. Total study sample was 1668 people aged 16 to 70 years (average age 32,9), among them 471 men and 1197 women. For the purpose of convergent validity verification, questionnaires were used that reveal the level of depressive tendencies, measure the ability to manage emotions, diagnose the intensity of various kinds of reflections. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to check the scale structure (six possible models), consistency of the scale was calculated. Retest reliability was checked at monthly intervals. Descriptive statistics of the questionnaire were calculated. Results. Analysis of factor structure of the questionnaire showed the greatest suitability for the bifactor model with a common grouping factor and related subfactors identified by the authors of the original method. The scale as a whole is characterized by high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha 0,92), subscales have sufficient consistency. Retest reliability of the scale is satisfactory, but subscale indicators are likely to be subject to certain situational fluctuations. The «brooding» and «depression-related ruminations» subscales have a similar structure of connections with other constructs, demonstrating an expected rather close relationship to depressive tendencies and dysregulation of emotions, while the «reflexive ruminations» subscale has weaker connections with depression, and is directly related to observation in the structure of mindfulness self-regulation and emotional awareness. Conclusions. The 22-point RRS rumination scale has sufficient psychometric characteristics for use. Similarity of the «brooding» and «depression-related ruminations» subscales indicates the possibility of excluding one of them in the short version of the questionnaire without losing information content. Reflexive ruminations are indicative of a tendency to observe and are associated with depression to a lesser extent.