Differences in Cognitive Avoidance, Anger Rumination, and The General Anxiety in Light of The Gender and Emotional Regulation Disturbance Among Undergraduate Students

Abstract

The current study aimed to determine the differences in cognitive avoidance, anger rumination, and general anxiety in response to the gender and the emotional regulation disturbance variables. The sample was (418) university students who were asked to answer on study tools of cognitive avoidance, anger rumination, general anxiety, and emotional regulation disturbance. The factor analysis revealed that the study tools coincide with the original factorial structures of these tools. In addition, the current finding showed appropriate indicators of validity and reliability in the Egyptian students. Moreover, the results revealed that the gender differences possessed no significant differences in cognitive avoidance, generalized anxiety, and anger rumination. Furthermore, the students with high difficulties in emotion regulation revealed significantly higher cognitive avoidance and anger rumination (92.298 ± 1.126; 45.114 ± 0.764) than those with low difficulties in emotional regulation (82.842 ± 1.927; 41.354 ± 1.307). However, these significant effects were absent on generalized anxiety. The cognitive avoidance, anger rumination, general anxiety, and emotional regulation disturbance scales showed good validity and reliability fit on the Egyptian student sample. Moreover, there were no gender differences in cognitive avoidance, anger rumination, and generalized anxiety. In comparison, the individuals who showed high emotional regulation disturbance had high cognitive avoidance and anger rumination.