The Role of Rumination in Affective Distress in People with a Chronic Physical Illness: a Review of the Literature and Theoretical Formulation

The role of maladaptive cognitive content among individuals with chronic physical illness has been acknowledged in cognitive models. Rumination has been documented as a key predictor of depression, and to a lesser extent of anxiety, in non-clinical samples. This paper provides a preliminary discussion of the potential role of rumination as a causal and maintaining factor for emotional distress in the setting of chronic physical illness. Although a number of methodological limitations exist, the current research on rumination may provide a useful framework for the extension of existing cognitive models in chronic illness.