Co-rumination and psychological well-being of Chinese and Australian college students: a comparative study

The present research examined cultural differences of co-rumination in predicting psychological well-being between 331 Chinese and 166 Australian college students. Results of comparative analyses indicated three higher positive co-rumination factors (i.e., affirmation, problem-solving, and enhancing friendship), one higher negative co-rumination factor (i.e., inhibiting happiness), but one lower negative co-rumination factor (i.e., worry about evaluation) in Chinese participants, than in Australian participants. The neutral factors of co-rumination (i.e., frequency P and N) did not show group differences. Regression analyses indicated that affirmation and problem-solving were positive predictors whereas worry about evaluation, and slack were negative predictors for Chinese participants. Affirmation, problem-solving, and enhancing friendship were positive predictors whereas worry about evaluation, inhibiting happiness, and slack were negative predictors for Australian participants. Overall, these findings indicate that different strategies of co-rumination have different relationships with psychological well-being while highlighting important differences between East and West cultures.