The Effect of Depression and Social Support on Ruminative Thinking in Patients Diagnosed with Depression

Introduction: Depression is a psychiatric disorder with a significant public health impact. Rumination is known to play a key role in both the onset and the chronicity of depression. Social support is a powerful factor that helps protect an individual’s health. This study is descriptive and aims to explore the relationship between rumination and social support in patients with depression.
Methods: This study was carried out with patients diagnosed with depression in the outpatient and psychiatry inpatient clinics of two state hospitals. As a data collection tool in the study; "Sociodemographic Data Form", "Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)", Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), "Ruminative Reasponses Scale (RRS)" were used.
Results: The mean BDI score of the depressive patients who took part in the study was 29.35±11.29, the mean RRS score was 59.98±15.05, and the mean MSPSS score was 37.23±12.04. BDI and RRS are strongly and positively correlated. BDI and MSPSS are strongly and negatively correlated (p<0.05). There was a strong negative link between RRS and MSPSS (p<0.05). It has been determined that depression and social support are two very effective factors in influencing ruminative thinking.
Discussion and Conclusion: When the level of ruminative thinking increases in patients, the severity of depressive symptoms increases and the perceived social support level decreases. In addition, when there is a decrease in the level of depressive symptoms in patients, the level of ruminative thinking also decreases and the perceived social support level increases. It is recommended to plan and implement interventions to reduce ruminative thinking and depressive symptoms that negatively affect patients' lives and to support effective use of social support.

Keywords: Depression; Psychiatric nursing; Ruminative thinking; Social support