Comparison of Cognitive Flexibility and State-Trait Anxiety Levels in Individuals Engaging in Regular Exercise and Sedentary Individuals

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.7 Issue.2

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.25.2.09

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

Comparison of Cognitive Flexibility and State-Trait Anxiety Levels in Individuals Engaging in Regular Exercise and Sedentary Individuals

Düzenli Egzersiz Yapan ve Sedanter Bireylerin Bilişsel Esneklik ve Durumluk Sürekli Kaygı Düzeylerinin Karşılaştırılması

Musa Oytun¹, Bingül Subaşı², Cevdet Tınazcı³, Hasan Ulaş Yavuz⁴

Abstract:

This study was conducted to determine whether the psychological flexibility and state anxiety levels of individuals who exercise regularly differ from those of sedentary individuals and to determine whether exercise has a mediating role on psychological flexibility and state anxiety levels. The participants of the study, which was conducted using the causal comparison model, consisted of 100 people aged 18 years and over who exercised regularly, selected by purposive sampling method, and the sedentary group consisted of 100 people aged 18 years and over who had no exercise history, selected by random sampling method. Personal information form, Beck Anxiety Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used in the study. The findings of the study show that there is a significant difference between the anxiety levels of regular exercisers and sedentary individuals. Another result of the study is that there is a significant negative relationship between both anxiety and state anxiety levels and psychological flexibility levels of participants who exercise regularly. In addition, it was determined that the total scores of the Psychological Flexibility Scale predicted the Beck Anxiety Scale and State Anxiety Inventory scores statistically significantly and negatively in individuals who exercised regularly. As a result, it can be said that regular exercise may positively affect psychological flexibility and may be a factor that reduces both state and general anxiety levels.

Keywords: Exercise, Cognitive Flexibility, Anxiety.

¹Assist. Prof., Near East University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Nicosia, Cyprus, E-mail: [email protected], Orcid Id: 0000-0002-8926-6053

²Dr., Near East University, Faculty of Art and Science, Department of Psychology, Nicosia, Cyprus, E-mail: [email protected], Orcid Id: 0000-0003-3633-622X

³Prof. Dr., Near East University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Nicosia, Cyprus, E-mail: [email protected], Orcid Id: 0000-0002-9646-025X

⁴Prof. Dr., Near East University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Nicosia, Cyprus, E-mail: ulaş. [email protected], Orcid Id: 0000-0002-8933-4028

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Hasan Ulaş Yavuz, Near East University, Near East Boulevard, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 25.12.2023, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 05.03.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 24.03.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 05.06.2025

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Oytun, M., Subaşı, B., Tınazcı C. & Yavuz, H. U. (2025). Comparison of Cognitive Flexibility and State-Trait Anxiety Levels in Individuals Engaging in Regular Exercise and Sedentary Individuals, Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology 7(2), 186-193.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/