THE MEDIATOR ROLE OF COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY AND MINDFULNESS IN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEIVED STRESS AND DISTRESS TOLERANCE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine the mediator role of the cognitive flexibility and mindfulness in the relationship between perceived stress and distress tolerance in university students. The sample of the study consisted of 417 students (306 females: 73,4%, 111 males: 26,6%) at Faculty of Healthy Sciences in Istanbul Medeniyet University in Turkey. Sample’s mean of age came to 19,88 (Sd=1.93). The Perceived Stress Scale, Distress Tolerance Scale, Cognitive Flexibility Scale, and Mindfulness Scale have been used. As part of this study, the mediating role of cognitive flexibility and mindfulness in the relationship between perceived stress and distress tolerance has been tested using the Serial Mediator Model. The results have indicated that those with a higher level of perceived stress experience lower degrees of cognitive flexibility and that, given cognitively less flexible individuals experience less mindfulness, thus, lower levels of mindfulness are associated with a decrease in distress tolerance. Moreover, the model in its entirety proved statistically significant (F(3, 420)=33.87, p<.001), accounting for 19,4% of the total variance. The findings have been discussed in line with relevant literature on the issue and recommendations on their possible application have been given.
Article visualizations:
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Andrews B., Wilding J. M. (2004). The relation of depression and anxiety to life-stress and achievement in students. British Journal of Psychology 95: 509–521.
Arnett J. J. (2007). Emerging adulthood: What Is It, and What Is It Good For. Society for Research Child Development 1(2): 68-73.
Altunkol F. (2011). Üniversite öğrencilerinin bilişsel esneklik ile algılanan stres düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Çukurova University, Adana.
Asberg K. K., Bowers C., Renk K., McKinney C. (2008). A structural equation modeling approach to the study of stress and psychological adjustment in emerging adults. Child Psychiatry and Human Development 39: 481-501.
Bardeen J. R., Fergus T. A., Orcutt H. K. (2016). Examining the specific dimensions of distress tolerance that prospectively predict perceived stress. Cognitive Behavior Therapy 1–13.
Bishop S. R. (2002). What do we really know about mindfulness-based stress reduction? Psychosom Med. 64: 71-83.
Bishop S. R., Lau M., Shapiro S., Carlson L., Anderson N. D., Carmody J., Devins G. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 11: 230–241.
Bliesner A. E. (2010). Mindfulness and distress tolerance: A review of the literature.
Bonanno G. A., Papa A., Lalande K., Westphal M., Coifman K. (2004). The importance of being flexible: The ability to enhance and suppress emotional expression predicts long-term adjustment. Psychological Science 15(7): 482–487.
Brown R. A., Lejuez C. W., Strong D. R., Kahler C. W., Zvolensky M. J., Carpenter L. L., …, Price L. H. (2009). A prospective examination of distress tolerance and early smoking lapse in adult self-quitters. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 11(5): 493-502.
Brown K. W., Ryan R. M (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of personality and Social Psychology 84: 822-848.
Buckner J. D., Keough M. E., Schmidt N. B. (2007). Problematic alcohol and cannabis use among young adults: The roles of depression and discomfort and distress tolerance. Addictive behaviors 32(9): 1957-1963.
Cañas J. J., Fajardo I., Salmerón L. (2006). Cognitive flexibility. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9a41/bdaf74a12dd6990580ca33ed50678628d1a5.pdf
Cheng C. (2003). Cognitive and motivational processes underlying coping flexibility: A dual-process model. Journal of personality and social psychology 84(2): 425.
Cheng C. (2005). Processes underlying gender‐role flexibility: Do androgynous individuals know more or know how to cope?. Journal of Personality 73(3): 645-674.
Coffey K., Hartman M. (2008). Mechanisms of action in the inverse relationship between mindfulness and psychological distress. Complement Health Pract Rev. 13(2): 79 –9.
Cohen S., Kessler R. C., Gordon L. (1995). Measuring Stress: A Guide for Health and Social Scientists, New York, Oxford University Press Inc.
Cohen S., Kamarck T., Mermelstein R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of health and social behavior 385-396.
Dane E. (2011). Paying attention to mindfulness and its effects on task performance in the workplace. Journal of Management 37(4): 997–1018.
Danielson K. C., McCart M. R., de Arellano M. A., Macdonald A., Doherty L. S., Resnick H. S. (2010). Risk reduction for substance use and trauma-related psychopathology in adolescent sexual assault victims: Findings from an open trial. Child maltreatment 15(3): 261-268.
Daughters S. B., Reynolds E. K., MacPherson L., Kahler C. W., Danielson C. K., Zvolensky M, Lejuez C. W. (2009). Distress tolerance and early adolescent externalizing and internalizing symptoms: The moderating role of gender and ethnicity. Behaviour research and therapy 47(3): 198-205.
Diehl M., Semegon A. B., Schwarzer R. (2006). Assessing attention control in goal pursuit: A component of dispositional self-regulation. Journal of personality assessment 86(3): 306-317.
Dogan T. (2018). Problem areas of students at a university psychological counselling centre: a 16-year analysis. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling 46(3): 1-12.
Eifert G. H., Heffner M. (2003). The effects of acceptance versus control contexts on avoidance of panic-related symptoms. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 34(3-4): 293-312.
Eisenberg D., Gollust S. E., Golberstein E., Hefner J. L. (2007). Prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among university students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 77: 534–542.
Eskin M., Harlak H., Demirkiran F., Dereboy C. (2013). The adaptation of the perceived stress scale into Turkish: a reliability and validity analysis. In New Symp J 51: 132-140.
Feldman G., Hayes A., Kumar S., Greeson J., Laurenceau J. (2007). Mindfulness and emotion regulation: The development and initial validation of the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CMS-R). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 29(3): 177–190. doi:10.1007/s10862-006-9035-8
Felton J. W., Banducci A. N., Shadur J. M., Stadnik R., MacPherson L., Lejuez C. W. (2017). The developmental trajectory of perceived stress mediates the relations between distress tolerance and internalizing symptoms among youth. Development and Psychopathology.
Frewen P. (2008). Letting go: Mindfulness and negative automatic thinking. Cognitive Therapy & Research 32(6): 758–774. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Galaif E. R., Sussman S., Chou C., Wills T. A. (2003). ‘Longitudinal Relations Among Depression, Stress, and Coping in High Risk Youth’. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 32(4): 243–58.
Galatzer-Levy I. R., Burton C. L., Bonanno G. A. (2012). Coping flexibility, potentially traumatic life events, and resilience: A prospective study of college student adjustment. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology 31: 542–567.
Gawrysiak M. J., Leong S. H., Grassetti S. N., Wai M., Shorey R. C., Baime M. J. (2016). Dimensions of distress tolerance and the moderating effects on mindfulness-based stress reduction. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping 29(5): 552-560.
Germer G. (2005). What is mindfulness? In G. Germer, R. Siegel, and P. Fulton (eds), Mindfulness and Psychotherapy (pp. 1-27). New York: Guilford.
Gunnar M., Quevedo K. (2007). The neurobiology of stress and development. Annual Review of Psychology 58: 145–173.
Hammen C. (2005). Stress and depression. Annual Review Clinical Psychology 1: 293–319.
Hayes A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York NY: Guilford.
Hawkins K. A., Macatee R. J., Guthrie W., Cougle J. R. (2013). Concurrent and prospective relations between distress tolerance, life stressors, and anger. Cognitive therapy and research 37(3): 434-445.
Howard D. E., Schiraldi G., Pineda A., Campanella R., (2006). Stress and mental health among college students: overview and promising prevention interventions. In Stress and Mental Health of College Students, edited by M.V., Landow, New York, Nova.
Howell A. J., Digdon N. L., Buro K., Sheptycki A. R. (2008). Relations among mindfulness, well‐being and sleep. Personality and Individual Differences 45: 773–777.
Jekielek S., Brown B. (2005). The transition to adulthood: characteristics of young adults ages 18-24 in America. Baltimore, MD: Kids Count/PRB/Child
Kabat-Zinn J. (1994). Mindfulness meditation for everyday life. London: Piatkus Books
Kabat‐Zinn J. (2003). Mindfulness‐based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 10(2): 144–156.
Kabat‐Zinn J. (2005). Coming to our senses: Healing ourselves and the world through Mindfulness, New York, Hyperion.
Kim B. S. K., Omizo M. M. (2005). Asian and European American cultural values, collective self-esteem, acculturative stress, cognitive flexibility, and general self-efficacy among Asian American college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology 52: 412–419.
Kraemer K. M., Luberto C. M., O'Bryan E. M., Mysinger E., Cotton S. (2016). Mind–body skills training to improve distress tolerance in medical students: a pilot study. Teaching and learning in medicine 28(2): 219-228.
Lazarus R. S., Folkman S. (1984). Coping and adaptation. In W.D. Gentry (Ed.), The handbook of behavioral medicine (pp. 282-325), New York, Guilford.
Lengua L. J., Long A. C. (2002). The role of emotionality and self-regulation in the appraisal–coping process: Tests of direct and moderating effects. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 23(4): 471-493.
Leyro T. M., Zvolensky M. J., Bernstein A. (2010). Distress tolerance and psychopathological symptoms and disorders: a review of the empirical literature among adults. Psychological Bulletin 136(4): 576-600.
Lynch T. R., Mizon G. A. (2011). Distress overtolerance and distress intolerance: A behavioral perspective.
Lynch S., Gander M. L., Kohls N., Kudielka B., Walach H. (2011). Mindfulness-based coping with university life: a non- randomized wait-list-controlled pilot evaluation. Stress and Health, 40–41.
MacPherson L., Reynolds E. K., Daughters S. B., Wang F., Cassidy J., Mayes L. C., Lejuez C. W. (2010). Positive and negative reinforcement underlying risk behavior in early adolescents. Prevention Science 11(3): 331-342.
Marshall‐Berenz E. C., Vujanovic A. A., Bonn‐Miller M. O., Bernstein A., Zvolensky M. J. (2010). Multimethod study of distress tolerance and PTSD symptom severity in a trauma‐exposed community sample. Journal of traumatic stress 23(5): 623-630.
Martin M. M., Anderson C. M. (2001). The relationship between cognitive flexibility and affinity-seeking strategies. Advances in Psychological Research 4: 69-76.
Martin M. M., Rubin R. B. (1995). A new measure of cognitive flexibility. Psychological reports 76(2): 623-626.
Miller M. O. (2011). Posttraumatic stress and marijuana use coping motives: The mediating role of distress tolerance. Journal of Anxiety Disorders 25: 437–443.
Monroe S. M. (2008). Modern approaches to conceptualizing and measuring human stress. Annual Review of Clinical Psycholog 4: 33-52.
Moore B. A. (2013). Propensity for experiencing flow: The roles of cognitive flexibility and mindfulness. The Humanistic Psychologist 41(4): 319–332.
Moore A., Malinowski P. (2009). Meditation, mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. Consciousness and cognition 18(1): 176-186.
Murphy F. C., Michael A., Sahakian B. J. (2012). Emotion modulates cognitive flexibility in patients with major depression. Psychol. Med 42: 1373–1382.
Nila K., Holt D. V., Ditzen B., Aguilar-Raab C. (2016). Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) enhances distress tolerance and resilience through changes in mindfulness. Ment. Health Prevent 4: 36–41. doi: 10.1016/j.mhp.2016.01.001
Özyeşil Z., Arslan C., Kesici S., Deniz M. (2011). Adaptation of the mindful attention awareness scale into Turkish. Education and Science 36(160): 224-235.
Payne J., Bettman J., Johnson E. (1993). The adaptive decision maker. Cambridge, New York.
Pohlman B., Becker G (2006). Stress knocks hard on your immune system: Asthma and the discourse on stress. Medical Anthropology 25: 65-95.
Potter C. M., Vujanovic A. A. Marshall-Berenz E. C. Bernstein A., Bonn-Miller M. O. (2011). Posttraumatic stress and marijuana use coping motives: The mediating role of distress tolerance. Journal of Anxiety Disorders 25(3): 437-443.
Plessow F., Kiesel A., Kirschbaum C. (2012). The stressed prefrontal cortex and goal- directed behavior: acute psychosocial stress impairs the flexible implementation of task goals. Exp. Brain Res. 216(3): 397–408.
Poskey M. (2006). The importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace, why it matters more than personality.
Sargın A. E., Özdel K., Utku Ç., Kuru E., Yalçınkaya Alkar Ö., Türkçapar M. H. (2012). Sıkıntıya dayanma ölçeği: Geçerlik ve güvenilirlik çalışması. Bilişsel Davranışçı Psikoterapi ve Araştırmalar Dergisi 1: 152-161.
Schneiderman N., Ironson G., Siegel S. D. (2005). Stress and health: Psychological, behavioral, and biological determinants. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology 1: 607–628.
Seiffge-Krenke I., Aunola K., Nurmi J.-E. (2009). Changes in stress perception and coping during adolescence: The role of situational and personal factors. Child Development 80: 259–279.
Sellers R. M., Caldwell C. H., Schmeelk-Cone K. H., Zimmerman M. A. (2003). Racial identity, racial discrimination, perceived stress, and psychological distress among African American young adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 44(3): 302–317.
Sheykholeslami A., Kiani A. R., Ahmadi Sh., Soleimani E. (2016). On the prediction of tendency to drug use based on behavioral activation and inhibition systems, cognitive flexibility, and distress tolerance among students. J Res Addict. 10(39): 109-28.
Siegel R., Germer C., Olendzki A. (2008). Mindfulness: What is it? Where did it come from? In F. Didonna (Ed.), Clinical handbook of mindfulness (pp. 17-36). New York, NY, Springer.
Simons J. S., Gaher R. M. (2005). The distress tolerance scale: Development and validation of a self-report measure. Motivation and Emotion 29(2): 83-102.
Skinner E. A., Zimmer-Gembeck M. J. (2007). The development of coping. Annual Review of Psychology 58: 119–144.
Tanrıbuyurdu E. F. (2012). Okul öncesi öz-düzenleme ölçeği geçerlik ve güvenirlik Çalışması. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Hacettepe University, Ankara.
Tavolacci M. P., Ladner J., Grigioni S., Richard L., Villet H., Dechelotte P. (2013). Prevalence and association of perceived stress, substance use and behavioral addictions: a cross-sectional study among university students in France, 2009–2011. BMC public health 13(1): 724.
Zvolensky M. J., Vujanovic A. A., Bernstein A., Leyro T. (2010). Distress tolerance: Theory, measurement, and relations to psychopathology. Current Directions in Psychological Science 19(6): 406-410.
Zvolensky M. J., Leyro T. M., Bernstein A., Vujanovic A. A. (2011). Historical perspectives, theory, and measurement of distress tolerance. In M. J. Zvolensky, A. Bernstein & A. A. Vujanovic (Ed.), Distress tolerance: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 3-27). New York, NY, The Guilford Press.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.2783
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2020 Neslihan Arici Ozcan
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright © 2015-2023. European Journal of Education Studies (ISSN 2501 - 1111) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All authors who send their manuscripts to this journal and whose articles are published on this journal retain full copyright of their articles. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).