Co-Rumination in the Workplace: Adjustment Trade-offs for Men and Women Who Engage in Excessive Discussions of Workplace Problems

• Published in: Journal of business and psychology Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 27 - 40
• Main Authors: Haggard, Dana L., Robert, Christopher, Rose, Amanda J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer Science + Business Media, Inc 01.03.2011; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adjustment; Age; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Business and Management; Community and Environmental Psychology; Depressive disorders; Developmental psychology; Emotional adjustment; Emotions; Friendship; Gender; Gender differences; Industrial and Organizational Psychology; Job satisfaction; Job stress; Men; Occupational stress; Outcome variables; Personality and Social Psychology; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Social interaction; Social Sciences; Social support; Stress; Studies; Supervision; Supervisors; Women; Work environment; Workplaces; Emotional adjustment; Abusive supervision; Workplace adjustment; Co-rumination; Social support
• ISSN: 0889-3268; 1573-353X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10869-010-9169-2

Purpose Developmental psychology research finds that when children and adolescents engage in excessive discussion of problems with friends, a phenomenon termed "co-rumination," they experience trade-offs between negative adjustment outcomes (e.g., depression), but better friendship quality. This study examines the possibility that adults in the workplace engage in co-rumination about workplace problems, and that co-rumination, gender, and the presence of abusive supervision influence both positive and negative individual outcomes. Design/Methodology A sample of 147 adults ranging in age and occupation completed a questionnaire assessing co-rumination, abusive supervision, and workplace outcomes. Findings Results suggested that women engage in more co-rumination than men, and that abusive supervision exacerbates its negative effects for women. In contrast, for men experiencing high abusive supervision, co-rumination was associated with reduced negative effects. However, under low abusive supervision, co-rumination had no significant effect on any outcome variable for women, but was related to negative outcomes for men. Implications This study suggests that co-rumination is useful for understanding different types of social support in workplace contexts, and in particular, how men and women might differ in social support seeking. Co-rumination might prove useful for reconciling the somewhat mixed results regarding social support in helping individuals cope with workplace problems. Originality/Value This study is the first to examine co-rumination in working adults. It provides insight into how the interaction among co-rumination, gender, and exposure to stress (e.g., abusive supervision) influence both positive and negative individual outcomes.