Rumination : risk factors and its role in the cause and maintenance of homelessness

• Main Author: David, Emily
• Published: University of Southampton 2012
• Subjects: 305.5692
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.618755

The construct of rumination is gathering increasing empirical support for its role in initiating and maintaining psychopathology and associated maladaptive behaviours. This narrative literature review considers research exploring possible risk factors which increase an individual's vulnerability and propensity to ruminate. Some of the risk factors considered include childhood abuse and trauma, face ts of temperament and metacognitive beliefs about rumination. The emerging literature base is relatively new but the evidence highlights the need for the construct of rumination to be further researched in order to have clinical utility by informing evidence based clinical interventions for those at risk of ruminating and experiencing the deleterious consequences of rumination. The empirical paper explores the relationships between childhood abuse (specifically sexual and emotional abuse), emotion dysregulation and rumination within a homeless population. The importance of establishing this relationship is to understand the associations between variables which may contribute to pathways of becoming and remaining homeless. Significant associations where found between childhood emotional abuse, rumination and emotion dysregulation. Further analysis demonstrated that rumination mediated this relationship. Contrary to predictions and other research, sexual abuse was not correlated with emotional dysregulation or rumination. The paper concludes by discussing clinical implications of the findings and future directions for further research are highlighted.