The relationship between resilience and distress tolerance in mothers with children with attention deficit hyperactivity signs: mediating role of cognitive flexibility and difficulty in emotion regulation

Considering the high psycho-social burden of having a child with attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms and the importance of resilience in their mothers, the aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between resilience and distress tolerance in mothers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms by considering the mediating role of cognitive flexibility and difficulty in emotion regulation. The research method was correlation with path analysis method. The statistical population included all mothers of children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms who referred to psychological clinics in Tehran, 426 of which answered the questionnaires by available sampling, and finally 400 packages of questionnaires were analyzed after the screening processes. questionnaires were Connor and Davidson’s resilience (2003), Simons & Gaher’s distress tolerance (2005), Martin and Rubin’s cognitive flexibility (1995) and Gratz’s difficulty in emotion regulation. results showed that distress tolerance directly (β = 0.244, p < 0.01) and indirectly (β = 0.240, p < 0.01) by the mediation of cognitive flexibility and difficulty in emotion regulation affects resilience and the proposed model has sufficient fitness (IFI, NFI, CFI, GFI > 0.9 and SRMR, RMSEA < 0/08). Results of the present study can be considered as a theoretical and practical model for understanding the relationship between resilience and distress tolerance in mothers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms by considering the mediating variables of cognitive flexibility and difficulty in emotion regulation.