The present study aimed to predict rumination based on cognitive and cognitive-emotional processes, with particular emphasis on the roles of cognitive flexibility, emotional schemas, and emotional self-efficacy among female university students. This descriptive-correlational study employed a predictive research design. The statistical population consisted of all female students at the Rasht Branch of Islamic Azad University during the second semester of the 2024–2025 academic year, from whom 400 participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS), the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI) developed by Dennis and Vander Wal, the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale developed by Hosseinchari et al., and the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) developed by Nolen-Hoeksema and Morrow. Data analysis was conducted using Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The findings indicated a significant positive relationship between emotional schemas and rumination, whereas cognitive flexibility and emotional self-efficacy were significantly and negatively associated with rumination . Furthermore, the results of the stepwise regression analysis revealed that the components of control, guilt, perception of alternative options, simplification of emotions, blaming others, and lack of control jointly explained 61% of the variance in rumination. Among these variables, the control component, as a dimension of cognitive flexibility, emerged as the strongest predictor of rumination. Overall, the findings suggest that cognitive and cognitive-emotional processes play a fundamental role in explaining rumination, and that variables related to cognitive control, emotional processing, and emotional self-efficacy are among its most important predictors. Accordingly, enhancing cognitive flexibility, modifying maladaptive emotional schemas, and strengthening emotional self-efficacy may serve as key targets for cognitive and cognitive-behavioral interventions aimed at reducing rumination and promoting the mental health of university students.
