Self-regulation, cognitive flexibility, and resilience among students: A mediating analysis

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-regulation in the relationship between cognitive flexibility and resilience among students. Method This was a cross sectional study on a random sample of students from Tehran and Karaj universities (two metropolitans in Iran) during 2022 and 2023 academic year. Data collection instruments included the Bouffard's Self-Regulation Scale, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RSC). The data were analyzed by performing the structural equation modeling using SPSS and AMOS software, to examine the relationships among variables. Results In all 302 students participated in the study. The mean age of students was 25.8 (SD = 4.05) years. The findings indicated that cognitive flexibility could account for 27% of the variance in self-regulation and 48% of the variance in resilience. Self-regulation, in turn, explained 21% of the variance in resilience. The goodness of fit indices validated the proposed model. Furthermore, structural equation analysis revealed the significance of the final model's direct path coefficients, underscoring the mediating role of self-regulation between cognitive flexibility and resilience among students. Conclusion The findings indicated that a pivotal interrelationship among self-regulation, cognitive flexibility, and resilience in students. The significant positive relationship among these constructs underscores the importance of fostering self-regulatory practices and cognitive flexibility in educational settings.