Term of Award
Spring 2025
Degree Name
Master of Science in Experimental Psychology (M.S.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Psychology
Committee Chair
Lindsey Stone
Committee Member 1
Nicolette Rickert
Committee Member 2
C. Thresa Yancey
Abstract
The transition to college is a period known for changes in social support and increases in depression risk. Undergraduate women are particularly vulnerable to developing internalizing symptoms like depression in response to relational stressors and social norm pressures associated with college life. Co-rumination, defined as excessive and ongoing discussion about problems and emotionally distressing topics, both fosters connection and intimacy between friends and increases risk of depressive symptoms. Thus, relationships that are typically seen as buffers from depression may, paradoxically, contribute to risk when support-seeking becomes maladaptive. Most research on co-rumination’s effects is limited to friendship dyads. However, within larger friendship groups, a depression homophily effect occurs, where individuals’ depressive symptoms correlate with those of their friends. While this shared experience can improve closeness, it may also result in a net decrease in well-being. The goal of the current study was to examine whether co-rumination extends to predicting depressive symptom risk among friend clusters. First, I hypothesized that a co-rumination homophily would exist within friend clusters such that individual co-rumination would predict cluster average co-rumination. Second, I hypothesized that co-rumination would account for a depression homophily such that higher group average co-rumination levels would be associated with higher group average depressive symptoms, and lower group average co-rumination levels would be associated with lower average depressive symptoms. Participants were 145 undergraduate women across two sororities. Self-report assessments of depression and co-rumination were completed, and participants nominated friends within their sorority. In total, 23 friendship clusters ranging from three to seven members were identified. Results did not support either a co-rumination homophily or a depressive symptom homophily within friendship clusters. In addition, there was not a significant bivariate association between co-rumination and depression. The lack of support for my hypotheses could be due to the lack of full representation of each social network or could indicate that co-rumination manifests differently and so may not pose the same risk for depression in friend clusters than in friend dyads.
Recommended Citation
Klas, Alyssa D. C., "Does Friend Groups’ Co-rumination Explain Depression Homophily among Undergraduate Women's Friendship Groups?" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2904.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2904
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
