The Effects of Deliberate Rumination on Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Posttraumatic Growth: The Mediating Effects of Cognitive Emotion Regulation

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation(CER) in the relation-ship between deliberate rumination(DR), posttraumatic stress symptoms(PTSS) and posttraumatic growth(PTG). Methods 496 people completed self-reporting questionnaires: a Trauma Events Checklist, the Korean Version of Event Related Rumination Inventory(K-ERRI), the Korean Version of Impact of Event Scale-Revised(IES-R-K), the Korean Version of Posttraumatic Growth Inventory(K-PTGI), the Korean Version of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire(K-CERQ). Results The results showed significant positive correlations among deliberate rumination, maladaptive CER, adap-tive CER, PTSS and PTG, although adaptive CER was not significantly correlated with PTSS. As a result of the me-diating effect test, a significant partial mediating effect of maladaptive CER was found in the relationship between deliberate rumination and PTSS. In the relationship between deliberate rumination and PTSS, a significant partial mediating effect of adaptive CER was found. The suppression effect of adaptive CER was suggested in the rela-tionship between deliberate rumination and PTSS. In the relationship between deliberate rumination and PTG, a significant partial mediating effect of adaptive CER was found. Conclusions These results suggest that the experience of PTSS or PTG after deliberate rumination depends on the type of cognitive emotion regulation strategies being used.