The Mediating Role of Cognitive Flexibility in the Relationship between Traumatic Experiences in the Childhood Period and Substance Abuse Proclivity

Abstract

Within the scope of this study, the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility in the relationship between traumatic experiences in the childhood period and substance abuse tendency was investigated. In the study 532 university students at undergraduate level participated. In selecting of the sample of this study, the convenience sampling methods in probability sampling methods were used. Participants completed a Demographic Information Form, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, Substance Abuse Proclivity Scale and Cognitive Flexibility Inventory. The results of the analysis found evidence of a positive significant correlation between all subdimensions of childhood traumatic experiences and substance abuse proclivity and negative significant correlations between all subdimensions of childhood abuse experiences and substance abuse tendency with cognitive flexibility. According to the mediation test results, cognitive flexibility was identified to play a partial mediating role in the correlation between all subdimensions of childhood abuse experiences and substance abuse tendency. The mediating role of cognitive flexibility in the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and substance abuse tendency explained between 13 and 23% of the total effect. Mediating variable analysis showed that cognitive flexibility has a partial mediating effect between all subdimensions of childhood abuse experiences and substance abuse tendency.