Mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and post traumatic stress disorder symptoms in women exposed to physical violence

Purpose: This study examined the mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and for PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms.Materials and Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 117 women aged 18 years and older who applied to the Violence Prevention Center. All participants were assessed using the Traumatic Stress Symptom Checklist, Metacognitions Questionnaire – 30 and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale.Results: The mediation analysis showed that metacognitive beliefs were significantly and positively associated with PTSD symptoms (B = 0.47, SE = 0.08) and difficulties in emotion regulation (B = 0.63, SE = 0.16). When metacognitive beliefs and difficulties in emotion regulation were included in the model simultaneously, difficulties in emotion regulation continued to be significantly associated with PTSD symptoms, while the direct effect of metacognitive beliefs on PTSD symptoms decreased but remained statistically significant (B = 0.28, SE = 0.07). This result indicates that metacognitive beliefs are associated with PTSD symptoms both directly and through difficulties in emotion regulation. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of addressing both maladaptive metacognitive beliefs and difficulties in emotion regulation in psychological interventions designed for women exposed to violence.