Examining the Psychological, Cognitive, and Physiological Effects of a New Experimental Manipulation of Co-rumination

624 participants from 172 friend dyads (72% female, 79% white) and 140 romantic couples (51% female, 85% white) took part in the study. Participants were mostly undergraduate students recruited from the Ohio University, OH, USA.
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Upon entering the laboratory, research assistants escorted participants to private testing rooms. After confirming eligibility for the study and completing the informed consent process, participants completed the problem-generation questionnaire. Trained research assistants then affixed physiological sensors to each participant and instructed participants to relax for a 5-minute resting autonomic baseline period. After baseline, participants received instructions for the problem-focused conversation wherein one member of the dyad (the discloser) was randomly assigned to discuss one of the extradyadic problems they disclosed in the problem-generation questionnaire. The other member of the dyad (the responder) was assigned to respond to their friend/romantic partner. Severity items were summed for each problem and the discloser’s most severe problem was assigned by the experimenter for discussion.
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Additionally, dyads were assigned to one of two conditions. In the co-rumination condition (N = 90 dyads), participants were instructed to do the following: stay on topic, go over the problem multiple times, speculate about the causes and consequences of the problem, and uncover and dig into negative emotions. In the natural condition (N = 82 dyads), participants were instructed to talk about the problem as they naturally would. In both conditions, participants received cards to remind them of the instructions. Next, experimenters told participants to “gather their thoughts” for 3 min in their private testing rooms before instructing them to complete a short questionnaire regarding their appraisals of demands and coping resources for the upcoming conversation. After both participants finished the questionnaire, a foldable, sound-insulated wall separating the two private participant rooms was collapsed, and dyads engaged in an 8-minute, video-recorded conversation. After the conversation, the wall was closed and participants answered a series of questionnaires regarding co-rumination, stressed and upset feelings, rumination, and perceived partner responsiveness during the conversation. Participants completed the conversation and questionnaires again, but this time the discloser and the responder switched roles (i.e., the other person got to discuss their personal problem). At the conclusion of the study, research assistants removed the physiological sensors and participants completed a demographic questionnaire.