Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors

Gözde Yazkan Akgül; Özlem Zeynep Gültekin; Çağla Develi Tekbıyık; Kevser Nursaçan; Muhsine Göksu; Ayşe Burcu Erdoğdu Yıldırım

doi:10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

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Original Research
Online Published: 10 Jan 2026

PBS. 2026; 16(1): 11-21

doi: 10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors

Gözde Yazkan Akgül, Özlem Zeynep Gültekin, Çağla Develi Tekbıyık, Kevser Nursaçan, Muhsine Göksu, Ayşe Burcu Erdoğdu Yıldırım.

Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between suicide attempts and cognitive flexibility in adolescents and to evaluate the determining role of psychiatric factors in this association.
Methods: A case-control study design was employed, including 30 female adolescents with a history of suicide attempt within the past year and 30 age- and gender-matched controls. Participants were assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children – Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), the Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Behavior Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S), and the Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS).
Results: Adolescents with suicide attempts showed significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and disruptive behaviors. While cognitive flexibility scores did not differ significantly between groups, within the suicidal attempt group, lower cognitive flexibility was significantly associated with higher emotional and behavioral problems. Regression analysis revealed that depression and anxiety symptoms were significant predictors of reduced cognitive flexibility only among adolescents with suicide attempts.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that suicidal behavior in adolescents may be linked not only to psychiatric symptoms but also to deficits in executive functioning. However, reduced cognitive flexibility appears to act as a potential risk factor only within the suicidal attempt group, underscoring the need for interventions that address executive functions in the prevention of adolescent suicide risk.

Key words: Suicide attempts, Adolescents, Cognitive flexibility, Depression, Anxiety

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How to Cite this Article

Pubmed Style

Akgul GY, Gultekin OZ, Tekbıyık CD, Nursacan K, Goksu M, Yıldırım ABE. Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors. PBS. Online First: 10 Jan, 2026. doi:10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

Web Style

Akgul GY, Gultekin OZ, Tekbıyık CD, Nursacan K, Goksu M, Yıldırım ABE. Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors. https://www.pbsciences.org/?mno=273189 [Access: January 11, 2026]. doi:10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Akgul GY, Gultekin OZ, Tekbıyık CD, Nursacan K, Goksu M, Yıldırım ABE. Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors. PBS. Online First: 10 Jan, 2026. doi:10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Akgul GY, Gultekin OZ, Tekbıyık CD, Nursacan K, Goksu M, Yıldırım ABE. Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors. PBS, [cited January 11, 2026]; Online First: 10 Jan, 2026. doi:10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

Harvard Style

Akgul, G. Y., Gultekin, . O. Z., Tekbıyık, . C. D., Nursacan, . K., Goksu, . M. & Yıldırım, . A. B. E. (2026) Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors. PBS, Online First: 10 Jan, 2026. doi:10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

Turabian Style

Akgul, Gozde Yazkan, Ozlem Zeynep Gultekin, Cağla Develi Tekbıyık, Kevser Nursacan, Muhsine Goksu, and Ayşe Burcu Erdoğdu Yıldırım. 2026. Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors. Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Online First: 10 Jan, 2026. doi:10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

Chicago Style

Akgul, Gozde Yazkan, Ozlem Zeynep Gultekin, Cağla Develi Tekbıyık, Kevser Nursacan, Muhsine Goksu, and Ayşe Burcu Erdoğdu Yıldırım. "Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors." Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Online First: 10 Jan, 2026. doi:10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Akgul, G. Y., Gultekin, . O. Z., Tekbıyık, . C. D., Nursacan, . K., Goksu, . M. & Yıldırım, . A. B. E. (2026) Cognitive Flexibility and Suicidal Attempt in Adolescents: Associations with Psychiatric Factors. Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Online First: 10 Jan, 2026. doi:10.5455/PBS.20250725084336

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