Ruminative-depressive responses in romantic relationships

Rezumat

The present paper investigates the conceptual area of couple rumination, and systematizes its triggers and the situations in which it manifests, through an integrative review of research in the field. Understanding these aspects is useful within psychotherapeutic interventions. Rumination is a form of repetitive thinking that also occurs in married life. It is a major cognitive vulnerability associated with depression. It is characterized by a repetitive or obsessive style of thinking. As a maladaptive emotional regulation strategy, rumination is associated with a higher presence of psychopathology. Four stimuli have been identified that significantly contribute to triggering and maintaining couple rumination: marital stress, professional stress, infidelity, and mourning. Co-rumination involves excessive discussion of problems and a mutual encouragement of discussions about problems. Professional stress is associated with increased levels of rumination and a higher tendency for interpersonal withdrawal, leading to increased marital tension. The infidelity of the life partners stimulates the rumination, and brooding, as a subtype of rumination, contributes to the the emergence of negative emotions triggered by partner infidelity. Rumination appears as a risk factor in mourning, anticipating high levels of symptoms specific to complicated mourning and depressive disorder in grieving individuals. It is observed that rumination in couples is an expression of the couple members' inability to overcome the problems they face. The development of scientifically validated psychotherapeutic intervention strategies is proposed, aimed at reducing rumination by directing couple members towards finding solutions, and problem solving.