Perseverative Thinking: The Link Between Emotional Regulation and Mental Health

Emotion regulation (ER) is associated with various mental health issues. However, a de-tailed understanding of the underlying processes is important for developing targeted interventions for common mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression. Limited research has focused on these processes among emerging adults, a group that has shown a marked increase in mental health difficulties. The aim of this study was to examine whether rumination and worry, as forms of perseverative thinking, mediate the relationship between ER and symptoms of depression and anxiety in emerging adulthood. A two-wave longitudinal design was employed. The sample included 286 university students (80.4% female; Mage = 20.3, sd = 1.7). Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted in PROCESS. The results indicated a full mediation between ER and anxiety, where only worry emerged as a significant mediator. The relationship between ER and depression was both direct and indirect, mediated only by rumination. However, after controlling for all baseline values, all paths became nonsignificant, suggesting that the results may reflect stable between-person differences rather than within-person change. The moderation analysis revealed that the highest levels of depressive symptoms were observed among participants with simultaneously high levels of ER difficulties, rumination, and worry. The results suggest that preventive programs focusing on reducing perseverative thinking could play a key role in promoting better mental health outcomes in emerging adulthood.