Role of Rumination in Adolescents’ Disruptive Behaviors in School

The adolescent stage of development is usually met with behavioral challenges. A behavior that is undesirable by the social norms is termed as externalizing problem behavior, constituting the central theme of investigation in this study. The purpose of the present study is to examine the role of rumination—and its two distinct forms, reflection and brooding—in contributing to adolescents’ disruptive behaviors in school. A sample of 249 adolescents, including both male and female students with the age ranges of 14-18, was selected from various educational institutions in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. By using the Disruptive Behavior Scale Professed by Students (DBS-PS) and the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS), the results supported the role of rumination in disruptive behavior among adolescents. More specifically, reflection, but not brooding, was significantly positively associated with disruptive behavior. The findings carry important implications for key stakeholders, including school counselors, social workers, parents, and educators by providing valuable insights that can help in the early identification of psychological concerns and the development of evidence-based interventions to address disruptive behavior effectively.