The Longitudinal Relationship Between Co-Rumination and Emotional Problems in Early Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Self-Compassion

The longitudinal relationship between co-rumination and emotional problems has been understudied, particularly regarding the role of protective factors in moderating the relationship. This study employed a cross-lagged analysis to examine the bi-directional relationship between co-rumination and emotional problems, and the moderating role of self-compassion in this dynamic. The participants comprised 814 Chinese junior school students (M age = 13.98 ± 0.83), who were surveyed over two tracking periods spaced four months apart. The results revealed that (1) baseline levels of co-rumination positively predicted subsequent depression and anxiety, whereas the prediction of anxiety and depression on subsequent co-rumination was not significant; (2) self-compassion buffered the impact of co-rumination on anxiety and depression, with higher levels of self-compassion correlating with weaker impacts of co-rumination on emotional problems. These findings suggest that co-ruminative behaviors within adolescent dyadic relationships generally pose risk to emotional development, while intervention programs targeting self-compassion could help to diminish the adverse effects.