Examination of the association between early maladaptive schemas and anger rumination in students based on gender

Early maladaptive schemas are one of the most important psychological attributes. Also, one of the most important variables related to early maladaptive schemas is anger. The present study is aimed at examining the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and anger rumination in students.
This study was descriptive-analytic and correlational. The statistical population included all male and female students of the Islamic Azad University, Sari Branch, in different fields and different grades during the academic year 2015-2016. Among this population, a total of 378 students (184 girls and 194 boys) were selected from 3 colleges and 5 branches of science, using a random multistage cluster sampling method. After getting the necessary permissions, the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) and the Anger Rumination Scale (FARS) were respectively used to assess early maladaptive schemas and anger rumination in the students. All the students participated voluntarily, and were allowed to quit the study at any time.
positive correlations were found between the domains of early maladaptive schemas and anger rumination subscales. The stepwise regression analysis indicated that disconnection and rejection, impaired limits, and excessive vigilance or inhibition positively predicted anger rumination. The independent samples t-test revealed a significant difference between male and female students in early maladaptive schemas, but not significant difference was found in anger rumination.
According to the study, we can conclude that early maladaptive schemas explain a high proportion of the variance of anger rumination, and there is a significant gender difference in early maladaptive schemas. We suggest mental health professionals and researchers, especially in student counselling and treatment centers, to consider these findings in their interventions.