Is a High Association Between Repetitive Negative Thinking and Negative Affect Predictive of Depressive Symptoms? A Clustering Approach for Experience-Sampling Data

A reciprocal relationship between repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and affect (NA) has been found in various types of psychopathology. Recent studies have suggested that the magnitude this association can vary across time individuals, which may inform future Here, we explored how these dynamics interplays are manifested student general populations using a statistical clustering algorithm. Across three experience-sampling data sets, our analyses consistently identified two groups individuals; one group had higher bidirectional RNT NA (and also inertia) than other group. Furthermore, prospective analysis revealed with is at risk developing depressive symptoms during 3-month follow-up period if they experienced high levels over phase. These findings suggest dysfunctional affective cognitive would be promising target preventive intervention.