Cognitive flexibility and coping strategies among university students: partial correlation and moderation by openness to experience

Purpose This study examines whether openness to experience serves as a control variable and/or a moderator in the relationship between cognitive flexibility and coping strategies among university students. Design/methodology/approach A total of 203 undergraduates (18–25 years) were recruited through convenience sampling. Participants provided socio-demographic information and completed the Malay NEO-FFI (openness), the Brief COPE (problem- and emotion-focused coping), and the Stroop Color-Word Test (cognitive flexibility). Partial correlations assessed associations between cognitive flexibility and coping after controlling for openness, while moderation analyses tested whether openness moderated these relationships. Findings Cognitive flexibility was positively associated with openness but unrelated to coping strategies. In contrast, openness was linked to greater use of both coping styles. Cognitive flexibility was negatively associated with emotion-focused coping after controlling for openness, while no significant link emerged with problem-focused coping. After controlling for openness, cognitive flexibility was modestly associated with lower use of emotion-focused coping, accounting for only 2% of the variance. Openness, however, consistently predicted greater use of both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, with no evidence that openness moderated the relationship between cognitive flexibility and coping. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by exploring the dual role of openness – both as a control and moderating variable – in the relationship between cognitive flexibility and coping strategies. Although the observed effects were small, the findings provide preliminary evidence regarding the role of personality traits (openness) in this cognitive–behavioral association within a Malaysian university sample.