Structural validity and psychometric properties of the Anger Rumination Scale: an analysis of invariance by gender, age and sample type in a community and a clinical sample

Abstract We present the structural validity of the Anger Rumination Scale (ARS) in two samples: a community sample of 536 individuals and a clinical sample of 97 individuals. An exploratory factor analysis isolated three factors that explained 57.5% of the variance after rotation; a confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit of the data to a model composed of three factors, which we called 1) angry memories (α = .90), 2) analysis of past anger events (α = .88), and 3) thoughts of revenge (α = .76). A multigroup CFA showed that the structural validity of the ARS had metric invariance by gender, age group (i.e., younger than 25 years vs. or older than 25 years) and sample type (i.e., community vs. clinical sample). As regards incremental validity, once depressive rumination was controlled for, angry memories and analysis of past anger events predicted anxiety and depression symptoms. Results are discussed according to the studies reviewed. We suggest that anger rumination and depressive rumination are repetitive processes that should be taken into account when assessing anxiety and mood disorders.