Does cognitive flexibility change the nature of the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey?

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İNÖZÜ MERMERKAYA M., Gok B. G., Tuzun D., Haciomeroglu A. B.

CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY, cilt.42, sa.20, ss.17412-17423, 2023 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 42 Sayı: 20
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s12144-021-02450-8
  • Dergi Adı: CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, BIOSIS, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Psycinfo
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.17412-17423
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: COVID-19, Psychological symptoms, Cognitive flexibility, Intolerance of uncertainty, Moderation, MENTAL-HEALTH, INFLEXIBILITY
  • Hacettepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the mental health of the general population worldwide. The study aimed to determine the associations of the intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and cognitive flexibility (CF) with a variety of psychological symptoms and to examine the impact of IU on psychological symptoms through the moderating role of CF. The Brief Symptom Inventory, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12, and Cognitive Control and Flexibility Questionnaire were applied to a sample of 3004 adults living in Turkey. The results of the analysis indicated that CF moderated the effect of IU on psychology symptoms. The slope analysis revealed a weakening association between IU and psychological symptoms with the introduction of a high CF level introduced to the model. The findings highlighted the importance of IU as a potential risk factor for developing psychological symptoms while CF appears as a potential protective factor during the COVID-19 pandemic.