The mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between university students’ attitudes towards violence against women and cognitive flexibility levels

This study investigated the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between university students’ attitudes toward violence against women and their cognitive flexibility levels. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 655 students studying at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Vocational School of Health Services of a university in the Eastern Anatolia region of Türkiye between January 1–20, 2025. The ISKEBE Attitude Scale, Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS), and General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSS) were used for data collection. It was determined that 52.4% of the students were undergraduate students and 71.6% were female. It was determined that the total score of ISKEBE was 125.18 (24.07), the total score of CFS was 53.89 (8.18), and the total score of GSS was 60.74 (10.98). While there was a positive and very weakly significant relationship between the mean total score of the students’ ISKEBE and the mean total score of the students’ CFS (r = 0.160; p < 0.001), there was a positive and very weakly significant relationship between the mean total score of the students’ GSS (r = 0.133; p < 0.001). It was determined that self-efficacy had a mediating role in the effect of cognitive flexibility on attitudes toward violence against women (R2 = 0.0887; p < 0.001). It was found that students had negative attitudes (i.e., rejecting violence against women) and high levels of cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy. As the cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy levels of the students increased, it was found that they exhibited negative attitudes (i.e., rejecting violence against women). It may be recommended to develop and implement training programs to improve students’ cognitive flexibility levels and feelings of self-efficacy, and to conduct awareness studies on violence against women.