Cognitive emotion regulation strategies: A study of Iraqi ISIS survivors

This study investigates the cognitive emotion regulation strategies applied by ISIS Iraq attack survivors in general and specific psychological results and effects of war-related trauma. This cross-sectional study intended to investigate gender and age differences in the use of maladaptive and adaptive coping strategies, utilizing the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Arabic Version (CERQ-AR) among 420 survivors from Mosul, Iraq. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), independent t-tests, and correlational analysis. Results showed that males scored significantly higher than females on rumination, catastrophizing, and other-blame. However, no gender difference was found in the case of adaptive strategies. The finding implies that these differences could be a function of the traditional gender roles in Iraqi society, especially in conservative areas like Mosul. Secondly, age as a variable in how these strategies are adopted: older individuals show a decline in maladaptive coping but an increase in other-blame. The research study ended with the recommendation that such cognitive emotion regulation strategies in post-conflict settings should be pursued through gender- and age-specific interventions. KEY WORDS: emotion regulation; ISIS survivors; war-related trauma; maladaptive coping; CERQ