The Relationship Between Emotional Schemas and Self-Compassion with the Regulation of Psychological Needs in Students
Keywords:
Emotional schemas, self-compassion, psychological needs regulation, university students, emotional processingAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between emotional schemas and self-compassion with the regulation of basic psychological needs among university students.
Methods and Materials: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted among 321 university students selected through stratified cluster sampling. Participants completed three standardized instruments measuring emotional schemas, self-compassion, and the regulation of basic psychological needs. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression to determine the strength and direction of relationships as well as the predictive power of the studied variables.
Findings: Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant negative correlations between psychological needs regulation and multiple emotional schema components, including rumination (r = –0.172, p = .002), blaming others (r = –0.151, p = .007), guilt (r = –0.178, p = .001), emotional simplification (r = –0.255, p = .001), worthlessness (r = –0.180, p = .001), lack of control (r = –0.236, p = .001), numbness (r = –0.182, p = .001), irrationality (r = –0.267, p = .001), negative affect persistence (r = –0.216, p = .001), and non-agreeableness (r = –0.222, p = .001). Total emotional schemas showed a significant negative correlation with psychological needs regulation (r = –0.238, p = .001). Significant positive correlations were found between psychological needs regulation and self-kindness (r = .462, p = .001), common humanity (r = .417, p = .001), and mindfulness (r = .389, p = .001), while total self-compassion was strongly correlated with psychological needs regulation (r = .511, p = .001). Regression analysis showed that only self-compassion significantly predicted psychological needs regulation (B = .276, t = 4.430, p = .001), whereas emotional schemas did not.
Conclusion: Self-compassion plays a significant and unique role in predicting the regulation of psychological needs, while emotional schemas, although correlated, do not independently predict need regulation, highlighting the importance of fostering compassionate self-relating to enhance students’ psychological functioning.
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