Moderating the effect of gender on the relations between psychological (in)flexibility and cognitive flexibility

Psychological inflexibility (PI) and cognitive flexibility (CF) share theoretical foundations linking them to psychological well-being, yet their relationship remains unclear. This study investigated gender differences between the flexibility measures and the association between CF and PI, examining gender as a potential moderating variable. We employed a three-component model of CF that distinguishes between task switching, stimulus-response mapping, and switching sets subtypes. A sample of 204 participants completed three CF tasks and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) tapping PI. Analysis revealed that men demonstrated superior performance in task switching and stimulus response mapping compared to women, while showing no significant gender differences in switching sets ability or AAQ-II scores. Additionally, the relationship between the cognitive tasks and the AAQ-II was moderated by gender, showing that men exhibited a significant association between task switching and AAQ-II scores, whereas, in stimulus-response mapping, the association with AAQ-II scores was present only in women. These findings demonstrate that gender influences both CF performance and its relationship with PI, with distinct patterns emerging for men and women. Consequently, our results enhance the theoretical understanding of the CF-PI relationship and may have implications for optimizing cognitive-behavioral interventions.