Assessing rumination response style among undergraduate nursing students: A construct validation study

Abstract

Background: Rumination is one of the risk factors for mental health problems among nursing students. Rumination refers to repetitive thoughts focusing on negative emotions. There is a need to use an appropriate instrument to detect rumination to prevent the development of emotional problems. The ruminative response scale (RRS) is an instrument widely used to assess rumination levels in adult populations. It is inconclusive if the scale can be used for younger people like nursing students.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the 10-item ruminative response scale (RRS-10) in undergraduate nursing students.

Design: A cross-sectional research design was used.

Settings: This study was undertaken at one of the universities in Thailand.

Participants: A sample of 747 undergraduate nursing students was recruited.

Method: Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire, containing the 10-item RRS and Thoughts, Feelings and Experiences Questionnaire, and personal information. Exploratory/confirmatory factor analyses and correlational analyses were performed to test the construct and concurrent validity of the RRS respectively. Cronbach's alphas were used as parameters for the internal consistency reliability.

Results: The RRS-10 had two distinct factors: brooding (moody pondering) and reflection (analysing depression-relating situations). Adequate model fit indices were obtained and significant factor loadings were observed, indicating acceptable construct validity. These two factors had significant correlations with emotional distress, depression, anxiety, and hopelessness, supporting concurrent validity of the scale. Cronbach's alphas were 0.71 and 0.73 for the brooding and reflection factors respectively, suggesting good reliability.

Conclusion and recommendation: The RRS-10 demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. Therefore, it can be used to assess rumination response style among undergraduate nursing students in Thailand. Future research can test the scale on nursing students or youths in other countries.

Keywords: Confirmatory factor analyses; Construct validity; Exploratory factor analyses; Nursing students; Ruminative response scale; Thailand.