Resilience and cognitive flexibility about armed conflicts in an Ecuadorian university community
Keywords:
academic impact, cognitive flexibility, psychological adaptation, psychological well-being, resilience, psychologicalAbstract
Introduction: Psychological adaptation and coping with adversity in sociopolitical crisis contexts represent a critical challenge for vulnerable communities, such as university populations. Understanding the factors that contribute to mental well-being in these circumstances is essential for public health.
Objective: To examine the relationship between resilience, cognitive flexibility, and their academic and psychological impact within an Ecuadorian university community affected by an internal armed conflict.
Methods: Participants included 260 students, faculty, and administrative staff (58% women, ages 18 to 55) from the State University of Milagro, Ecuador. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive design was used. The variables studied were resilience, cognitive flexibility, and their academic and psychological impact. The Cambios test was applied remotely to measure cognitive flexibility, and the Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale was administered via institutional emails. Analysis included ANOVA, linear regression, and principal component analysis.
Results: Resilience was significantly associated with a lower perception of negative impact (B = ‑0.316; p = 0.004), while cognitive flexibility did not show a significant relationship (p > 0.05). Additionally, associations were found between resilience and sociodemographic variables, such as educational level and marital status.
Conclusion: Resilience is associated with a lower perception of negative impact in the affected university community. This underscores its importance in facing adversity within sociopolitical crisis contexts and highlights the need for interventions that promote well-being.
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