The relationship between metacognition, rumination and decisional conflict among college students

The present study examined the relationship between metacognition, rumination, and decisional conflict among full-time college students. Grounded in the Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF) model, the Metacognitive Model of Rumination, and the Metacognitive Multi-Function Model (MMFM), the study aimed to address the limited research exploring how metacognition simultaneously relates to both rumination and decisional conflict within an Indian student population. A sample of 200 college students aged 17–25 years (M = 21.50, SD = 2.08) participated in the study. Standardized self-report instruments were used, including the Metacognition Self-Assessment Scale (MSAS-18), the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS-10), and the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS-16). Preliminary analyses indicated adequate variability in scores, though decisional conflict violated normality assumptions; therefore, Spearman’s rank-order correlation was employed. Results revealed a small but statistically significant positive correlation between metacognition and rumination (ρ = .17, p = .015), and a moderate, statistically significant negative correlation between metacognition and decisional conflict (ρ = −.31, p < .001). These findings suggest that while increased metacognitive awareness may be slightly associated with greater ruminative thinking, stronger metacognitive abilities are meaningfully linked to reduced decisional conflict. The study highlights the dual and nuanced role of metacognition in cognitive-emotional functioning and underscores the importance of strengthening metacognitive regulation and mastery skills to enhance decision-making confidence among college students.