Rumination and Its Effects on Working Memory and Attention in Depression and Anxiety

Rumination is a maladaptive cognitive process characterized by continuous, negative focus on the individual's emotional distress, as well as the reasons for their endurance and the perceived consequences. Rumination has been shown to be strongly associated with both depression and anxiety, and it has been identified as a transdiagnostic process contributing to impaired cognitive and emotional functioning. The present thesis aims to examine the role of rumination in cognitive and emotional dysfunction, drawing on existing theoretical and empirical research to explore its association with deficits in executive functioning. Individuals who engage in rumination tend to struggle with multiple working memory processes, such as inhibiting irrelevant negative information, disengaging from emotionally burdening information and manipulating negative material once it is held in mind. Such difficulties reduce the efficiency of cognitive operations, ultimately interfering with goal-directed behaviour and daily life. Rumination appears to be related to poor attentional functioning, specifically the inability to switch attention away from negative and self-referential information. The bidirectional relationship between rumination and cognitive dysfunction is also presented. While deficits in executive functioning increase an individual's vulnerability, ruminating itself entails the use of cognitive resources, thereby intensifying cognitive impairments. Neurocognitive research provides evidence for such interactions, noting changes in neural activity in the brain regions responsible for self-referential processing and cognitive control. Understanding this relationship may inform more targeted clinical interventions and contribute to better comprehension of the cognitive mechanisms underlying depression and anxiety.