From the developmental perspective, insecure attachment to people in one’s life predisposes a person to develop maladaptive affect regulation... Show moreFrom the developmental perspective, insecure attachment to people in one’s life predisposes a person to develop maladaptive affect regulation strategies (Shaver & Mikulincer, 2007), which, when employed, result in suboptimal emotional states and increased risk for developing depression (Marganska, Gallagher, & Miranda, 2013). From the cognitive styles perspective, rumination and overgeneral autobiographical memory constitute risk factors for depression through various mechanisms, including impaired social problem-solving (Goddard, Dritschel, & Burton, 1996), intensification of dysphoric mood (Donaldson & Lam, 2004), difficulties with concentration (Lyubomirsky, Kasri, & Zehm, 2003) and memory (Hertel, 1998). This study examined the potential mediating roles of rumination and overgeneral memory in explaining the relationship between insecure attachments (anxious/avoidant and anxious/ambivalent) and depression. One hundred African American outpatient psychiatry patients at an urban county hospital participated in the study. Participants completed the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, the Ruminative Response Scale, the Diagnostic Inventory for Depression, and the Autobiographical Memory Test. Results are presented from mediational analyses conducted using the PROCESS program and bootstrapped estimates of the indirect (mediated) effects (Hayes, 2012). In line with predictions, support for the mediating role of rumination was found. Results did not support the hypotheses regarding overgeneral memory as a mediating variable. Implications of the current findings for further research and clinical work are discussed. M.S. in Psychology, July 2014 Show less
