Friendship and problem solving : the effect of various situations on co-rumination in emerging adulthood friendships

Co-rumination is the act of negatively discussing problems with another person. The focus of corumination is generally on the negative aspects, or things that cannot be changed as opposed to active problem solving. Co-rumination is positively associated with positive friendship quality as well as internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Co-rumination is most commonly studied in children and adolescents, but the present study extends this research by looking at the undergraduate population. In addition the current study aims to find differences in co-rumination in response to four different hypothetical scenarios. One hundred and thirty one students at the University of Richmond participated in this study, completing a series of questionnaires and free response questions. It was found that students are more likely to coruminate when another peer is involved, as opposed to intrapersonal problems. As hypothesized, co-rumination was associated with positive adjustment (i.e., high friendship quality) and negative adjustment (i.e., anxiety and depression). In conclusion, co-rumination seems to be more specific to interpersonal problems and can be both a positive and negative act for undergraduate men and women.