Metacognitive Self-Regulation: The Mediating Role of Emotion Oriented Coping between Positive and Negative Beliefs about Rumination amongst Pakistani Adults

OBJECTIVES: The study explored the moderated mediating role of gender on the relationship between positive and negative beliefs about rumination mediated by emotion oriented coping. METHODOLOGY: The research was a short survey. Data was collected from various institutes of Islamabad and Rawalpindi during 2015-2016. A total of 514 employed professionals from different organizations participated in the study. The questionnaires method was used. Responses were collected on Positive Beliefs about Rumination Scale, Negative Beliefs about Rumination Scales and Emotion Oriented Coping. Correlation analysis showed significant positive relationships among study variables (ranging from .32 to .40; p < .01). RESULTS: Results showed that direct path between negative beliefs about rumination and positive beliefs about rumination was found mediated by emotion oriented coping. The direct effects between positive beliefs about rumination and negative beliefs about rumination (β = .31, p < .01, ∆R= .23), and the indirect effects between positive and negative beliefs about rumination through emotionoriented coping (β = .10, p < .05, ∆R = .18) disclosing mediating effects of emotion oriented coping. CONCLUSION: Emotional coping was thus found to be a process through which individuals can ‘let go of’ factors that may be causing them stress and they can attain a temporary sense of calm. Previous research had hinted upon the cathartic nature of emotional coping but it wasn’t clear whether the relationship would be significant or not. The current research is step towards providing empirical evidence for this relationship. Secondly, the article specifies the direction of the relationship between positive beliefs about rumination, emotion oriented coping and negative beliefs about rumination.