The Mediating Role of Social Connectedness in the Relationship Between Repetitive Negative Thinking and Internalizing Symptoms of Psychopathology.

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) predicts the onset and maintenance of both depression and anxiety. However, the mechanisms linking RNT to these internalizing symptoms, especially their distinct features, are not well understood. One potential pathway involves social connectedness, a fundamental human need associated with positive mental health outcomes. Although RNT is linked to social disconnection, which in turn predicts depression and anxiety, no studies have explicitly tested whether social connectedness mediates the prospective relationship between RNT and the unique symptoms of depression (anhedonia) and anxiety (anxious arousal). The present longitudinal study tested mediation models examining social connectedness as a mechanism linking baseline RNT to anhedonic depression and anxious arousal 9 months later. Initial analyses indicated that although RNT longitudinally predicted both anhedonic depression and anxious arousal, social connectedness partially mediated the relationship only between RNT and anhedonic depression. However, this mediational pathway did not persist after controlling for baseline anhedonic depression, although lower levels of social connectedness continued to predict later higher levels of anhedonic depression. These findings suggest that social connectedness is particularly relevant to depressive symptoms characterized by diminished positive affect, rather than to physiological anxiety. Clinically, the results highlight social connectedness as an important intervention target for reducing anhedonic depression.