A new questionnaire, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), was developed to measure nine cognitive coping strategies used after experiencing negative life events. The study involved 547 high school students, with a test-retest design to assess psychometric properties and relationships with depression and anxiety. Principal component analysis supported the allocation of items to subscales, and most subscales had alphas exceeding 0.80. Cognitive coping strategies were found to play a significant role in the relationship between negative life events and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The results suggest that cognitive coping strategies may be valuable for prevention and intervention. Cognitive emotion regulation includes strategies such as self-blame, blaming others, acceptance, refocusing on planning, positive refocusing, rumination, positive reappraisal, putting into perspective, and catastrophizing. These strategies were derived from existing coping measures and theoretical frameworks. The CERQ consists of 36 items, with each subscale containing four items. The study found moderate to strong correlations between subscales, with 'positive-focused' strategies (e.g., positive reappraisal, acceptance) being more adaptive than 'negative-focused' strategies (e.g., rumination, catastrophizing). Reliabilities of the scales were good, with most alphas exceeding 0.80. Test-retest reliabilities were adequate to good, with values ranging between 0.41 and 0.59. At follow-up, the mean scores for cognitive coping strategies showed that more adaptive strategies were used more frequently than less adaptive ones. Correlations between CERQ subscales and measures of depression and anxiety were positive, with rumination, self-blame, and catastrophizing showing the strongest associations with depression and anxiety symptoms. After controlling for other strategies, positive refocusing and positive reappraisal showed negative relationships with depression and anxiety, indicating that these strategies were associated with fewer symptoms. The study highlights the importance of cognitive coping strategies in emotional regulation and mental health. It suggests that cognitive coping strategies can be important indicators of mental health problems and should be considered in theoretical models. The results also emphasize the need for further research on the validity of the CERQ and its application to diverse populations, including clinical and adult samples. The study underscores the complex relationship between negative life events, cognitive emotion regulation, and maladjustment, suggesting that future research should focus on establishing construct validity and exploring the role of cognitive coping strategies in mental health interventions.A new questionnaire, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), was developed to measure nine cognitive coping strategies used after experiencing negative life events. The study involved 547 high school students, with a test-retest design to assess psychometric properties and relationships with depression and anxiety. Principal component analysis supported the allocation of items to subscales, and most subscales had alphas exceeding 0.80. Cognitive coping strategies were found to play a significant role in the relationship between negative life events and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The results suggest that cognitive coping strategies may be valuable for prevention and intervention. Cognitive emotion regulation includes strategies such as self-blame, blaming others, acceptance, refocusing on planning, positive refocusing, rumination, positive reappraisal, putting into perspective, and catastrophizing. These strategies were derived from existing coping measures and theoretical frameworks. The CERQ consists of 36 items, with each subscale containing four items. The study found moderate to strong correlations between subscales, with 'positive-focused' strategies (e.g., positive reappraisal, acceptance) being more adaptive than 'negative-focused' strategies (e.g., rumination, catastrophizing). Reliabilities of the scales were good, with most alphas exceeding 0.80. Test-retest reliabilities were adequate to good, with values ranging between 0.41 and 0.59. At follow-up, the mean scores for cognitive coping strategies showed that more adaptive strategies were used more frequently than less adaptive ones. Correlations between CERQ subscales and measures of depression and anxiety were positive, with rumination, self-blame, and catastrophizing showing the strongest associations with depression and anxiety symptoms. After controlling for other strategies, positive refocusing and positive reappraisal showed negative relationships with depression and anxiety, indicating that these strategies were associated with fewer symptoms. The study highlights the importance of cognitive coping strategies in emotional regulation and mental health. It suggests that cognitive coping strategies can be important indicators of mental health problems and should be considered in theoretical models. The results also emphasize the need for further research on the validity of the CERQ and its application to diverse populations, including clinical and adult samples. The study underscores the complex relationship between negative life events, cognitive emotion regulation, and maladjustment, suggesting that future research should focus on establishing construct validity and exploring the role of cognitive coping strategies in mental health interventions.