A New Perspective on Maladaptive Coping:

The Role of Rigidity

Italia Castro, Jackson Cowherd, & Zach Vasquez�

Research Methods and Statistics II

April 28, 2026

Pacific University, OR

Historical Context; This Decade

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

COVID-19: Heightened psychophysiological stress (e.g., Sousa et al., 2021).�

Geopolitical Conflict: Ukraine-Russia War, Israel-Palestine War.

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Climate Change Crisis: Rise in temperatures—a global concern.

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Increase in Polarization: Polarization has consistently been increasing among US adults.

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Economic Crisis: The cost of goods have increased, while the job market remains sparse. �

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Case Study: “Alex”

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

Alex, a 37-year-old male, has anxiety and recently began psychotherapy. However, while in tx, his therapist noticed Alex is resistant to change. ��With each suggestion the therapist provided during tx(e.g., mindfulness and CBT), Alex pushed back.��One-month Post-therapy: Therapist diagnoses Alex with GAD.��But the therapist still wishes they could diagnose, and therefore better treat, Alex’s core issue: Stubbornness. ��Given the lack of a protocol on stubbornness, the therapist defaults to standard treatments for anxiety.

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Case Study: “Alex”

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

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But what if treatment existed for stubbornness? How might therapy look different with targeted therapy for Alex’s core issue?

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

Literature Review

Continuous patterns of perseverance behaviors and thinking

�Dispositional and Situational

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(Morris & Mansell, 2018)

Rigid Thinking

Emotion Regulation (ER)

Emotional response before, during, & after distressing situation

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Five categories:

rumination, suppression, distraction, reappraisal, and mindfulness

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(Preece et al., 2025).

Ineffective ER

Effective Emotion Regulation�

Selection, implementation, and monitoring

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(Schneiderman et al. 2005).

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Research Question; Hypothesis

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

Does psychological rigidity limit a person’s ability to adjust their emotion-regulation strategies when confronted with changing stressors?

Our Hypotheses:

1. People who score higher in rigidity are predicted to use fewer emotion-regulation strategies. �
2. People who score higher in rigidity are predicted to use more maladaptive emotion-regulation strategies.

Participants & Recruitment

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

28 Participants

(22 Female, 6 Male)

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Recruited by in person means and digital solicitation.

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Materials; Psychometric Scales

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

12-item Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire (CPQ)�

10-item Ruminative Response Scale (RRS-10)�

Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Revised (OCI-R)

Situational Emotion-Regulation Scale (SERS)�

Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE)�

Flexible Emotion Regulation Scale (Flex-ER)

Psychological Rigidity (Facets)

Emotion

Regulation (Facets)

Design/Procedures

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

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This descriptive, online survey was initiated through an informed consent procedure, where consent was acknowledged through “I agree.”

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Participants then completed the survey, which took on average 30 minutes from IC to the debriefing.

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

Sample Information

28 participants

Total response count

Average response age

72.4% female

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22 years old

24.1% male

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Sex

Sex

Cronbach’s Alpha for All Scales

Descriptive Statistics for the Situational Emotion-Regulation Scale (SERS)

Pearson’s Correlation Matrix of All Measures

Multiple Linear Regression of OCI-R, CPQ, and RRS Predicting the SERS

Multiple Linear Regression of OCI-R, CPQ, and RRS Predicting the Flex-ER

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

Strengths

✓ Hypothesis 1 Supported: People who score higher in rigidity (M=90.61, SD=17.92) use fewer emotion regulation strategies as measured by SERS (M=5.53 SD=2.67, p < 0.05).

✓ Moderately strong relationships between rigidity facets

✓ Moderately strong relationships within SERS facets

✓ Moderate predictive validity of CPQ on the SERS

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

Limitations

✗ Hypothesis 2 Unsupported: People who score higher in rigidity will use more maladaptive emotion-regulation strategies

✗ Small and non-diverse sample

✗ Low reliability for SERS and FlexER

✗ Cannot assess ecological validity of FlexER or SERS

✗ Cannot rule out confounding variable like neuroticism

Significance

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

For Researchers:

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Provides evidence that psychological rigidity may inhibit emotion-regulation flexibility (ERF)

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Reveals need for more research on ERF

For Clinicians:

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New perspective on emotion-regulation can help fine turn interventions that meet clients where they’re at.

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Better addresses core psychological isssues (i.e., transdiagnostic processes).

Historical Context | Case Study | Theory | Methods | Results | Discussion

What You Can Do

→ Psychological flexibility predicts various aspects of wellness.

→ Our results indicate that perfectionism might inhibit it.

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Solutions?

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1. Engage in psychotherapeutic modalities, such as ACT, CBT, and DBT
2. Make small changes everyday to shift your mindset from “all-or-nothing” to “good enough”
3. When perfectionism strikes, foster self-compassion

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“It is not distress itself that interferes with well-being and optimal functioning, but rather the countless ways of trying to escape distress.” – Tom Kashdan

References

Thank You!

We would express our gratitude to

Heide Island as a mentor and professor, and Pacific University.

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