The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of cognitive emotion regulation strategy on the relationship between emotion malleability beliefs and depression, and between emotion malleability beliefs and anxiety in Individuals with GAD (Generalized anxiety disorder) symptoms.

The 103 individuals with GAD symptoms respond to the questionnaires measuring emotion malleability beliefs, cognitive emotion regulation strategy, depression, anxiety.

Data from this study show that maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy mediates the effect of emotion malleability beliefs on depression and anxiety. Adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy has no mediating effect on them.

These results suggest that making the individuals with GAD have emotion malleability beliefs or educating them on emotion regulation strategy may not be enough. Therefore, practical intervention is needed in the overall emotion regulation. Finally, this paper includes implications, limitations, and suggestions for the future study.