Alex Rich

General and eating disorder (ED)-specific rumination have been identified as key factors that may contribute to eating pathology. Additionally, research suggests that positive beliefs about rumination (e.g., “Ruminating helps me to prevent future mistakes") may impact this association. However, the effect of positive beliefs on the links between rumination and disordered eating has not been investigated. This study sought to clarify relations between rumination and ED symptoms and evaluate the effect of positive beliefs about rumination on these associations in a sample of 518 undergraduates. Participants attended one in-lab visit during which they completed a battery of questionnaires assessing general and ED-specific ruminative processes (i.e., brooding, reflection), positive beliefs about rumination, and eating disorder symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression results revealed that, controlling for gender and BMI, both ED-specific brooding (b = 1.318, SE = .130, β = .461, 95% CI [1.062, 1.573]) and reflection (b = 1.440, SE = .327, β = .185, 95% CI [.798, 2.082]) accounted for unique variance in ED symptoms, above general brooding and reflection (R = .784, R^2 = .615, ΔR^2 = .222). Positive beliefs about rumination did not significantly moderate the associations between rumination measures and ED symptoms (ps > .05). Findings suggest that rumination-related expectancies may not influence the association between ruminative processes and eating pathology. Future research is encouraged to further investigate the relationship between disorder-specific ruminative thought and disordered eating and alternative factors that may influence the strength of this association in this high-risk population.