Psychological Inflexibility and Psychological Distress in Adults: The Mediating Role of Resilience

Abstract

Introduction: The high prevalence of anxiety and depression in adults affects their overall functioning. Within Relational Frame Theory, psychological inflexibility is theoretically associated with avoidance of private events and has been linked to greater anxiety and depressive symptoms and lower resilience. However, the integration of these constructs into explanatory models remains limited, restricting the understanding of their interrelationships and potentially relevant protective resources. Objective: To examine the indirect association between psychological inflexibility and psychological distress through resilience within a theoretically specified cross-sectional model. Methods: A cross-sectional design with latent variables was employed using a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 950 Peruvian adults (64% women), recruited in Metropolitan Lima, who completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and psychological measures. Statistical analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling. Results: The proposed model demonstrated adequate fit (robust CFI = 0.94, robust RMSEA = 0.05, 90% CI [0.050, 0.057], SRMR = 0.04). Psychological inflexibility showed a strong positive direct association with psychological distress (β = 0.803, p < 0.001) and a significant indirect association through resilience (β = 0.073, p < 0.001]). This pattern was consistent with complementary mediation within the specified cross-sectional model. Conclusions: Higher psychological inflexibility was associated with lower resilience and greater psychological distress. Resilience statistically accounted for a small but significant portion of the association between psychological inflexibility and distress, whereas the direct association remained predominant. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings should not be interpreted as evidence of temporal or causal relationships. Longitudinal research is required to examine the directionality of these associations.