Mediating Role of Cognitive Flexibility in Predicting the relationship between Childhood Traumatic experiences and Substance Abuse Tendency among Adolescent Females

Background: Drug abuse is a major issue and one of the main causes of health, psychological, and social problems. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of cognitive flexibility in predicting the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and the tendency to abuse addictive substances among adolescent females in Yazd, Iran, in the academic year 2022-23. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of cognitive flexibility in predicting the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and the tendency to abuse addictive substances among adolescent females in Yazd, Iran, in the academic year 2022-23. Methods: The research method is correlated. The study’s statistical population included all female high school students in Yazd, Iran for the academic year 2022-23. A sample of 200 adolescent girls (ages 13-15) was recruited using multistage sampling. Participants had at least one self-injurious behavior in their medical records. Cognitive Flexibility Inventory-Iranian Version, Adverse Experiences in Childhood Relationships, and Readiness Scale for Substance Abuse were completed. SPSS software (version 23) was sued to analyze data paths and standard coefficients. Results: The obtained results indicated a significant relationship between all correlation coefficients obtained between a tendency to abuse addictive substances, traumatic experiences in childhood, and cognitive flexibility at the P 0.01 level. In addition, the indirect effect of cognitive flexibility on the tendency to abuse drugs was significant, and the proposed model was confirmed. Conclusion: As evidenced by the results of this study, cognitive flexibility was associated with childhood traumatic experiences and the tendency to abuse addictive substances. In addition, cognitive flexibility mediates the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and the tendency to abuse addictive substances among adolescent females.