An examination of the relationship between psychological resilience, cognitive flexibility, negative life events, and emotion regulation skills in adolescents

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between psychological resilience and emotion regulation, cognitive flexibility, and stressful life events among adolescents. Adolescence is a critical developmental period in which individuals encounter various emotional and environmental challenges. Understanding the factors that contribute to resilience during this stage is crucial for promoting psychological well-being. The study was conducted with 429 high school students aged between 14 and 18 years. Data were collected using the Resilience Scale, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, and the Adolescent Life Events Questionnaire. Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were employed. The results revealed that emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility positively predicted psychological resilience, whereas stressful life events were found to be a significant negative predictor. Among the variables, cognitive flexibility emerged as the strongest predictor of resilience. These findings underline the importance of developing programs that support cognitive and emotional skills to enhance psychological resilience in adolescents.