Does Repetitive Negative Thinking Influence Alcohol Use? A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Over the past 20 years, researchers have used various methodologies to assess different forms of repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and their influence on alcohol consumption. Contrasting results between clinical and general populations were observed. To summarize the current literature on RNT and alcohol use, a systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines (Moher et al., 2009). Among the 27 included studies, the seven conducted among patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the three focusing on other adult samples demonstrated a strong positive association between RNT and alcohol use or alcohol-related problems, regardless of the form of RNT. The results were more heterogeneous in the 17 studies conducted among adolescents and students, leading the authors to conclude that the results varied as a function of the severity of alcohol use. The results of this study suggest to focus on RNT from a transdiagnostic perspective in AUD. This processual approach may improve AUD treatment and relapse prevention. Finally, some gaps in the literature must be addressed: (1) the gender differences in the link between RNT and alcohol use and (2) the specific influence of RNT on alcohol use among young adults.

Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ): French Validation of a Transdiagnostic Measure of Repetitive Negative Thinking.

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic process involved in the onset and maintenance of many psychological disorders. The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (Ehring et al., 2011) is a content-independent scale composed of 15 items that assesses RNT from a transdiagnostic perspective in both clinical and general populations. The aim of the current research was to translate and validate the French version of the PTQ through two studies (total N = 1016) following the steps for the trans-cultural validation of psychometric instruments (Hambleton et al., 2006). An exploratory factor analysis conducted on a first community sample revealed a latent structure composed of 10 items distributed on one common factor, labeled RNT, and three subfactors that evaluated the repetitive characteristic of RNT, the intrusiveness of RNT and the effect of RNT on mental resources. This factorial structure was confirmed in two confirmatory factor analyses in community and clinical samples. Scale score reliability indices were good and confirmed the validity of the instrument. The French version of the PTQ is a good content-independent instrument to assess RNT in general and clinical populations of French speakers.

Repetitive Thinking in Alcohol-Dependent Patients.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies proposed that a tendency to have repetitive negative thinking (RNT) could be a predictor of alcohol use. Nevertheless, results differ depending on the studied population (nonclinical samples or patients with alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence) and on the type of repetitive thinking (rumination or worry). These heterogeneous results might be explained by the impact of anxiety and depression level on RNT and alcohol consumption. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to explore different type of repetitive thinking (i.e., worry, brooding and reflection rumination, analytic-abstract repetitive thinking, and concrete-experiential thinking) in a clinical sample of alcohol-dependent patients and a non-clinical sample and the role played by depression and anxiety. METHOD: Eighty-four inpatients with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence and 68 individuals from a nonclinical sample completed questionnaires evaluating repetitive thinking, anxiety, depression and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Mann-Whitney U tests showed that patients with alcohol dependence reported more analytic-abstract repetitive thinking, brooding and reflection rumination and worry, as well as anxious and depressive symptoms, compared with social drinkers, who reported more concrete-experiential repetitive thinking. Moreover, a multiple mediation model indicated that the link between RNT and alcohol consumption was significantly mediated by both anxiety and depression. Conclusion/Importance: The results support the implication of RNT in alcohol dependence and the distinction between different types of repetitive thinking with adaptive or maladaptive consequences. This link seems to be explained by the levels of depression and anxiety that mediate the impact of RNT on alcohol consumption.

Abstract and concrete repetitive thinking modes in alcohol-dependence.

Emotional and interpersonal deficits play a crucial role in alcohol-related disorders as they predict alcohol consumption and relapse. Recent models of emotion regulation in psychopathology postulate that these deficits are centrally related to increased abstract/analytic repetitive thinking, combined with reduced concrete/experiential repetitive thinking. As this assumption has not been tested in addictions, this study aimed at investigating repetitive thinking modes in a large sample of alcohol-dependent individuals. One hundred recently detoxified alcohol-dependent individuals (29 females; mean age = 49.51-years-old) recruited during the 3rd week of their treatment in a detoxification center were compared to 100 healthy controls (29 females; mean age = 48.51-years-old) recruited in the experimenters' social network, matched at the group level for age, gender, and educational level. All participants completed the Mini Cambridge Exeter Repetitive Thought Scale measuring abstract/analytic and concrete/experiential repetitive thinking modes as well as complementary psychopathological measures (Beck Depression Inventory and State/Trait Anxiety Inventory). Alcohol-dependent individuals have similar levels of concrete repetitive thinking as controls but report significantly higher levels of abstract repetitive thinking (p < 0.001; d = 1.28). This effect remains significant after controlling for depression and anxiety. Relative to healthy controls, alcohol-dependent patients report more frequent use of abstract/analytic repetitive thinking, with preserved concrete/experiential thinking. Despite the cross-sectional nature of the study, the frequent use of abstract repetitive thinking thus appears to constitute a main feature of alcohol-dependence.