Trade-Offs of Seeking Support for University Students During the Pandemic

This study examined the relationship between co-rumination, perceived friendship closeness, perceived coronavirus threat, depression, and psychological distress in emerging-adult women during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that co-rumination would indirectly influence depression and psychological distress through perceived friendship closeness and perceived coronavirus threat. Participants completed assessments between July and October 2020. Perceived coronavirus threat was positively associated with both depression and psychological distress. Friendship closeness was negatively associated with depression, but was not significantly related to psychological distress. Tests of indirect effects indicated that there were significant indirect effects from co-rumination to depression through both coronavirus threat and perceived friendship closeness. There was also a significant indirect effect from co-rumination to psychological distress through perceived coronavirus threat, but not through perceived friendship closeness. Implications and future research directions are discussed.