The Mediating Role of Cognitive Flexibility and Worry in the Effect of Rumination on Stress: An Evaluation of Risky Alcohol Use

This study examined the serial mediating roles of cognitive flexibility and worry in the relationship between rumination and stress.Additionally, this study examines the moderating effect of risky alcohol use levels on these mediating relationships.The study sample comprised 832 university students aged 18-25 years, of whom 79% were female.Data collection instruments included the Personal Information Form, Addiction Profile Index Risk Scanning Scale -Alcohol, Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (Short Form), and Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire.Based on the cutoff scores from the Addiction Profile Index Risk Scanning Scale for Alcohol, the participants were categorized into two groups: low risk (n=650) and high risk (n=182).This grouping variable was used as the moderating variable in the analysis.The findings from the serial mediation analysis (Model 6) demonstrated that cognitive flexibility and worry both exhibited significant mediating effects in the relationship between rumination and stress.Furthermore, the moderated mediation analysis (Model 92) revealed that the moderating effect of risky alcohol use levels was significant only in the relationship between stress and cognitive flexibility.Specifically, the mediating role of cognitive flexibility was nonsignificant in the low-risk alcohol use group but reached significance within the highrisk group.The results underscore the importance of interventions targeting cognitive flexibility-such as mindfulness-based programs and cognitive-behavioral therapies-in mitigating the ruminative effect of stress.Such interventions may also exert an indirect influence on reducing risky alcohol use, particularly among individuals in high-risk groups.