Cognitive control: modeling the impact on mental health

The current study identified and investigated four leading models of the relationships among cognitive control, mental health, and psychological disorders. The Norwegian model of cognitive control emphasizes that the inability to disengage from irrelevant stimuli is related to a hyperreactive state of mind, high levels of anxiety, and deteriorated mental health. Motivational accounts of cognitive control highlight the decisive influence of perceived self-efficacy, which is positively related to mental health and negatively related to psychological disorders. Clinical-health psychological theories of cognitive control focus on the influence of cognitive control on the ability to regulate emotions. The dual competition model highlights the predominant impact of negative affect on cognitive control. This study had a cross sectional and descriptive design (<i>N</i> = 122). Ten Preacher and Hayes mediation analyses were conducted to compare all the models. The bootstrap sample was elevated to 5,000 to reach sufficient power for the statistical analyses. In sum, the findings of this study support most models. I propose a theoretical framework of cognitive control and mental health that integrates existing models and is applicable to various areas of life, such as clinical and neuropsychological practice, work, education, health, and personal relationships. This framework offers practical strategies for intervention and prevention, fostering resilience and well-being across various contexts while simultaneously reducing the risk of mental illnesses.