Associations among schemas emotional complaints cognitive difficulties and perceived mathematics understanding in undergraduates from selected universities in Mogadishu Somalia

Associations among schema-related vulnerability, emotional experiences, subjective cognitive complaints, and perceived mathematics understanding remain insufficiently understood among university students in Mogadishu, Somalia. This cross-sectional study examined early maladaptive schemas (EMS), mathematics anxiety (MA), psychological distress (PD), perceived cognitive processing difficulties (P-CPD), and perceived conceptual understanding in mathematics (P-CUM) among 467 undergraduates from five universities. Concurrent self-report data were analysed using PLS-SEM with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. A reduced 27-item specification excluding EMS2 and PD8 served as the primary model, supplemented by demographic adjustment and a 29-item sensitivity specification. EMS was positively associated with MA (β = 0.698), MA with PD (β = 0.726) and P-CPD (β = 0.264), and PD with P-CPD (β = 0.548); P-CPD was negatively associated with P-CUM (β = − 0.371; all p < 0.001). MA → P-CUM (β = − 0.099, p = 0.091) and PD → P-CUM (β = − 0.058, p = 0.428) were nonsignificant in the primary model. After demographic adjustment, the MA association became significant but remained small, indicating specification sensitivity. All five hypothesized indirect coefficients were significant, but they represent statistical associations under one proposed ordering. PD and P-CPD remained borderline distinct (HTMT = 0.852), and common-method covariance could not be excluded. These findings do not establish temporal mediation or distinct successive psychological processes. Reverse, reciprocal, and alternative orderings remain compatible with the design. Interpretation is restricted to the participating sample and study-specific operationalisations; longitudinal, multi-source research with independently validated measures is needed before broader conclusions can be drawn.