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Ruminative Responses Scale

RRS
psychologyhealth sciencesFree for research use

A 22-item measure of ruminative responses to depressed mood; a refined 10-item version separates maladaptive brooding from more neutral reflection.

Items
22
Response format
4-point frequency scale
Version
1.0
Subscales
2

Ready-to-cite methods sentence

Rumination was measured with the Ruminative Responses Scale (Treynor et al., 2003), whose brooding and reflection subscales showed acceptable internal consistency (α ≈ .72–.77).

Citing this in a methods section? This scale spans more than one discipline, so the style depends on where you publish — see the APA 7 or Vancouver guides, or compare all six citation styles.

Reliability & validation

Validation population
Community adults (Treynor et al., 2003)
Cronbach's α
0.72–0.77

Subscales

BroodingReflection

Response anchors

Almost never · Sometimes · Often · Almost always

Known limitations

The original 22-item total overlaps with depression item content, which inflates its association with depression; the refined brooding and reflection subscales are only five items each.

Original citation

Treynor, W., Gonzalez, R., Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2003). Rumination reconsidered: A psychometric analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27(3), 247-259.

https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023910315561

Questions researchers ask

What does the RRS measure?

A 22-item measure of ruminative responses to depressed mood; a refined 10-item version separates maladaptive brooding from more neutral reflection.

How many items does the RRS have?

The Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) has 22 items across 2 subscales: Brooding, Reflection.

Is the RRS free to use?

The RRS is free to use for non-commercial academic research. You don't need to pay a license fee, but you should always cite the original publication.

Is the RRS reliable?

Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.72–0.77. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.

Who developed the RRS, and how do I cite it?

Treynor, W., Gonzalez, R., Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2003). Rumination reconsidered: A psychometric analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27(3), 247-259. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023910315561

Reference only

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Library entry verified July 2026. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.