Psychometric properties of the 10-item ruminative response scale in Chinese university students

BACKGROUND: Rumination increases vulnerability to depression, exacerbates and perpetuates negative moods. This study was aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the 10-item Ruminative Response Scale (RRS-10) in a large undergraduate sample. METHODS: A sample of 5,236 university students finished the RRS and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the two-factor structure and the measurement equivalence of the RRS-10 across gender. The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, correlations among RRS, RRS-10 and CES-D were also explored. In addition, gender difference on rumination and the relationship between rumination and depression were further investigated. RESULTS: The two-factor model of RRS-10 fit the data reasonably and had acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability in Chinese undergraduates sample. And the measurement equivalence of the RRS-10 was acceptable across gender in Chinese university students. Findings in respect of latent means and manifest means revealed non-significant gender difference in RRS-10. Besides, participants with high-level rumination had more depressive symptoms than those with low-level rumination. CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese version of the RRS-10 showed good psychometric properties and was measurement invariant across gender in undergraduates. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1318-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.