Investigation of Relations between Emotion Regulation, Early Maladaptive Schemas, Cognitive Flexibility, and Rumination

English (OpenAlex)

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of the structural model that is composed of the emotion regulation, early maladaptive schemas, cognitive flexibility and rumination.Design/Methodology/Approach: This study was carried out with 454 students (%63.2 female, %36.8 male). The data used in this study was adopted from Personal Information Form, Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form 3, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Cognitive Flexibility Inventory and short form of Rumination Scale.Findings: As a result of the structural equation modelling; the participants' early maladaptive schemas were significant predictors of cognitive flexibility's sub dimensions. Cognitive flexibility's sub dimensions predicted the rumination's sub dimensions, rumination's brooding sub dimension were found significant predictor of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal which are sub dimensions of emotion regulation and also rumination's reflection sub dimension predicted the cognitive reappraisal but not expressive suppression.Highlights: When early maladaptive schemas are active, cognitive flexibility level decreases. Therefore, ruminative thoughts increase and these thoughts are unable to regulate emotions. Psychoeducation programs can be developed in order to increase cognitive flexibility levels, use effective emotion regulation strategies and cope with ruminative thinking.