Repetitive negative thinking during pregnancy - The role of biased information seeking and negative prenatal expectations

Repetitive Negative Thinking (RNT) during pregnancy is a key risk factor for psychopathology in the perinatal period. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying prenatal RNT remain poorly understood. Recent research has suggested that a tendency to volitionally seek negative rather than positive information (i.e., biased information seeking) may contribute to the formation of more negative prenatal expectations, which in turn predict elevated prenatal RNT.

Citation:
Mazidi M, Grafton B, Moulds ML, Newby JM, MacLeod C. Repetitive negative thinking during pregnancy: The role of biased information seeking and negative prenatal expectations. Behav Res Ther. 2026;198.

Keywords:
Biased information seeking; Negative expectations; Pregnancy; Prenatal repetitive negative thinking

Abstract:
Repetitive Negative Thinking (RNT) during pregnancy is a key risk factor for psychopathology in the perinatal period. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying prenatal RNT remain poorly understood. Recent research has suggested that a tendency to volitionally seek negative rather than positive information (i.e., biased information seeking) may contribute to the formation of more negative prenatal expectations, which in turn predict elevated prenatal RNT.