The mediating role of psychological capital and cognitive flexibility in the relationship between psychological needs and career adaptability in emerging adults

The research aims to examine the mediating role of psychological capital and cognitive flexibility in the relationship between psychological need satisfaction and career adaptability. The research population consists of individuals between the ages of 18-29 studying at Anadolu University, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, and Eskişehir Technical University. Due to the relationship between the sample size and the number of variables and factors in the model, care was taken to ensure that the total number of questions was at least ten times more, thus reaching 809 university students. In the research data, collection tools named Personal Information Form, Need Satisfaction Scale, Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, Psychological Capital Perceptions Scale, and Career Adaptability Scale Short Form were used. SPSS and AMOS programs were used to analyse data. The Path analysis method was used for the mediation effect. The model was tested using a Bootstrapping sample of 5000 for direct, indirect, and total effects. According to the results, both cognitive flexibility and psychological capital were found to be significant mediator variables in the relationship between psychological need satisfaction and career adaptability and both variables` indirect effects were found to be significant. In other words, it can be stated that high psychological need satisfaction positively predicts career adaptability through high cognitive flexibility and high psychological capital. The analyses of the emerging adults included in the study regarding gender, age, the place where most of the life was spent before the age of 18, mother's education level, father's education level, mother's occupation level, father's occupation level, the field of study and class variables, and the relationships of emerging adults psychological need satisfaction, career adaptability, cognitive flexibility and psychological capital characteristics with each other were examined using independent sample t-test, ANOVA and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The results indicate that career adaptability differs only depending on where one spends most of their life before the age of 18, showing significant positive relationships between career adaptability and psychological need satisfaction, cognitive flexibility and psychological capital. Additionally, a significant positive relationship was found between psychological need satisfaction and cognitive flexibility and psychological capital. Finally, the results obtained were discussed in the light of the literature and suggestions were given to researchers and field workers according to the results.