The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas in the relationship between emotional regulation difficulties and metacognition

This study aims to examine the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas in the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and metacognition. Within the scope of the study, data were collected online from 439 participants aged between 18 and 45 residing in Turkey between December 2024 and February 2025. During the data collection process, the Sociodemographic Information Form, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Metacognitions Questionnaire, and the Young Schema Questionnaire Short Form-3 were used. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 24.0 software. First, the data set was examined for missing and outlier values; the assumption of normal distribution was evaluated based on skewness and kurtosis values. Following descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis was used to test the relationships between variables. Internal consistencies of the scales were determined using Cronbach's alpha coefficients. In the final stage, a structural equation model based on the theoretical model of the study was constructed, and model fit indices were evaluated. According to the analyses, strong correlations were observed between some variables. When examining the dimensions of emotion regulation difficulties and metacognition, a strong positive relationship was found between strategies and the uncontrollability and danger dimension (r = .640, p < .001). Regarding the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and dimensions of emotion regulation difficulties, a strong positive correlation was identified between the pessimism schema and strategies (r = .633, p < .001). In the relationships between early maladaptive schemas and metacognition dimensions, a high level of correlation was found between the pessimism schema and uncontrollability and danger (r = .618, p < .001). Moreover, early maladaptive schemas were found to play a significant mediating role in the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and metacognitive processes, with social isolation/mistrust (β = 0.851; R² = 0.725), pessimism (β = 0.846; R² = 0.716), vulnerability to harm or illness (β = 0.841; R² = 0.708), defectiveness/shame (β = 0.836; R² = 0.699), and abandonment (β = 0.825; R² = 0.681) emerging as key schemas in this relationship. The findings reveal that emotion regulation difficulties and metacognition influence each other, with schemas playing a mediating role in this relationship. Accordingly, it is emphasized that addressing schemas in therapeutic interventions is important for the healthy functioning of emotional and cognitive processes.