Examining the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation With Rumination in Anxious Students

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between mindfulness and emotion regulation with rumination in university students experiencing anxiety. Methods and Materials: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted among students at Islamic Azad University, Lahijan Branch, during the 2023–2024 academic year. From a total population of approximately 9,000 students, a sample of 368 was selected using convenience sampling based on scores from the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The instruments utilized in the study included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck et al., 1988), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer et al., 2006), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003), and the Ruminative Responses Scale (Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991). Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage) were used for demographic data, while Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression were employed to analyze relationships and predictability among variables. All analyses were performed using SPSS software. Findings: The results indicated significant negative correlations between mindfulness and rumination (r = -0.256, p < .01), emotion suppression and rumination (r = -0.384, p < .01), and emotion reappraisal and rumination (r = -0.374, p < .01). Stepwise regression analysis revealed that emotion suppression and mindfulness together explained 17.6% of the variance in rumination (adjusted R² = 0.176). Emotion suppression emerged as the strongest predictor of rumination, indicating that higher levels of suppression were associated with increased rumination among anxious students. Conclusion: Emotion suppression, in particular, plays a crucial role in predicting rumination, suggesting that interventions aimed at improving adaptive emotion regulation and enhancing mindfulness may be effective in reducing maladaptive cognitive patterns such as rumination in anxious university populations.