Examining the Relationship between Emotional Clarity, Intolerance of Uncertainty and Cognitive Flexibility with Depression Symptoms in College Students

Depression is considered one of the most common mental disorders, and knowing the variables affecting it plays a significant role in people's health, quality of life, and occupational and academic performance. So the purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between emotional clarity, intolerance of uncertainty, and cognitive flexibility with depression symptoms in college students.

The present study was conducted with a descriptive and correlational method. Samples of this study were students of Mohageg Ardabili University in the 2020-2021 semester (n=12000). 350 of them were selected by the available sampling method. the questionnaires including the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, 1966), Trait Meta Mood Scale(saluvey et al, 1995), Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (Friston, 1994), and cognitive flexibility scale(vender, valp, 2010) were completed by students. And those with ratings of 14 and above in BDI were selected as people with depression symptoms and final samples (249 students). The study's data were analyzed by multiple regression and Pearson correlation in SPSS v19 software.

The results showed that depression symptoms were correlated negatively with emotional clarity (p<0/05, r=-0/142) and cognitive flexibility (p<0/01, r=-0/125) and correlated positively with intolerance of uncertainty(p<0/05, r= 0/221). Regression analysis showed that emotional clarity predicts overall 45% of depression symptoms and intolerance of uncertainty and cognitive flexibility also predicted 33% and 21% of depression symptoms.

Depression symptoms are predictable through emotional clarity, intolerance of uncertainty, and cognitive flexibility. So we're suggesting that psychologists and counselors consider the role of emotional clarity, intolerance of uncertainty, and cognitive flexibility in improving depression symptoms.