Cognitive flexibility and social adjustment in daily life among children: The role of perceived social support

This study investigates the link between cognitive flexibility and children’s social adjustment, focusing on the mediating role of perceived social support. A sample of 185 elementary school children, aged 9–14, participated in a 10-day ambulatory assessment, completing daily paper-and-pen questionnaires at 16:00. Cognitive flexibility was evaluated using a shortened version of the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), and other constructs, including emotion regulation, perceived stress, and social engagement, were measured through specially designed questionnaires. Results indicated that cognitive flexibility correlates with perceived social support and social adjustment at the between-person level, but not significantly at the within-person level. Furthermore, perceived social support was found to mediate the relationship between cognitive flexibility and various aspects of social adjustment, including positive and negative emotions and perceived stress. These findings underscore the importance of enhancing perceived social support to leverage cognitive flexibility for improved social adjustment in elementary school students.