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Volume 27, Issue 3 (Autumn 2025)
Advances in Cognitive Sciences 2025, 27(3): 28-43 |
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Mahmood Mohammad H, Parhoon H, Yazdanbakhsh K. The relationship between executive functions, academic achievement, and quality of life in university students: The mediating role of psychological flexibility. Advances in Cognitive Sciences 2025; 27 (3) :28-43
URL: http://icssjournal.ir/article-1-1827-en.html
URL: http://icssjournal.ir/article-1-1827-en.html
1- Masters of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
2- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
3- Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
2- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
3- Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
Abstract: (756 Views)
Abstract
Introduction: Quality of life (QoL), as an essential indicator of mental health and overall well-being, has attracted considerable attention from researchers in recent years. This construct encompasses individuals’ evaluations of various life domains, including physical, psychological, social, and environmental aspects. It also poses particular challenges among university students due to academic pressures and social transitions. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between executive functions and both QoL and academic achievement among students, with the mediating role of psychological flexibility.
Methods: Within a positivist paradigm, using a quantitative approach and a correlational design based on structural equation modeling (SEM), 300 students from Razi University were selected during the 2023-2024 academic year through convenience sampling. The Executive Functions Questionnaire developed by Holst and Thorell (2018), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), and the Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire developed by Bond et al. (2011) were employed for data collection. Data were analyzed using SEM utilizing SPSS-28 and SmartPLS-4 software.
Results: The SEM revealed significant effects of working memory and inhibitory control on students’ QoL (P<0.01) and academic achievement (P<0.01). Moreover, psychological flexibility played a full mediating role in the effect of executive functions on QoL, and a partial mediating role in the effect of executive functions on academic achievement.
Conclusion: The present study concluded that the direct and indirect effects of executive functions on students’ QoL are significantly strengthened by higher levels of psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility serves as a protective factor between executive functions and QoL among university students.
Introduction: Quality of life (QoL), as an essential indicator of mental health and overall well-being, has attracted considerable attention from researchers in recent years. This construct encompasses individuals’ evaluations of various life domains, including physical, psychological, social, and environmental aspects. It also poses particular challenges among university students due to academic pressures and social transitions. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between executive functions and both QoL and academic achievement among students, with the mediating role of psychological flexibility.
Methods: Within a positivist paradigm, using a quantitative approach and a correlational design based on structural equation modeling (SEM), 300 students from Razi University were selected during the 2023-2024 academic year through convenience sampling. The Executive Functions Questionnaire developed by Holst and Thorell (2018), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), and the Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire developed by Bond et al. (2011) were employed for data collection. Data were analyzed using SEM utilizing SPSS-28 and SmartPLS-4 software.
Results: The SEM revealed significant effects of working memory and inhibitory control on students’ QoL (P<0.01) and academic achievement (P<0.01). Moreover, psychological flexibility played a full mediating role in the effect of executive functions on QoL, and a partial mediating role in the effect of executive functions on academic achievement.
Conclusion: The present study concluded that the direct and indirect effects of executive functions on students’ QoL are significantly strengthened by higher levels of psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility serves as a protective factor between executive functions and QoL among university students.
Type of Study: Research |
Received: 2025/09/30 | Accepted: 2025/11/27 | Published: 2025/12/28
Received: 2025/09/30 | Accepted: 2025/11/27 | Published: 2025/12/28
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