The impact of negative cognitive emotion regulation strategies on impulsive behaviors in middle school students: the mediating effect of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance.

BACKGROUND: Early adolescents are susceptible to impulsive behaviors due to immature cognitive control. Such behaviors are associated with elevated risks of disciplinary infractions, delinquent acts, and mental health disorders. Although cognitive emotion regulation strategies, cognitive fusion, and experiential avoidance have been identified as correlates of impulsive behavior, their integrated interrelationships remain underexplored. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of negative cognitive-emotional regulation strategies on impulsive behaviors among middle school students, and to examine the chained mediating roles of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance in this relationship. METHODS: A total of 756 middle school students completed self-report questionnaires, including the Cognitive-Emotional Regulation Questionnaire, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire. RESULTS: (1) Negative cognitive-emotional regulation strategies were significantly positively correlated with impulsive behaviors, cognitive fusion, and experiential avoidance. Cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance were both significantly positively correlated with impulsive behaviors. (2) Both cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance exhibited significant effects in the individual and chained mediation of the relationship between negative cognitive-emotional regulation strategies and impulsive behaviors. CONCLUSION: Improving negative cognitive-emotional regulation strategies and reducing levels of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance may be important avenues for reducing impulsive behaviors among middle school students. These findings provide empirical guidance for educators and mental health professionals in conducting mental health education and implementing interventions for impulsive behaviors among adolescents.