The Role of Psychological Flexibility, Mindfulness, Valuing, and Cognitive Defusion in the Prediction of Dark Future among University Students

Purpose: Within the framework of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the study aimed to examine the extent to which psychological flexibility predicted future anxiety among university students and whether core components of psychological flexibility, which are mindfulness, valuing (progress and obstruction), and cognitive defusion, explained additional variance in future anxiety beyond the psychological flexibility. Method: A correlational research design was used in this study. The sample consisted of 336 undergraduate students (213 females, 119 males, and four who did not disclose their gender) enrolled at universities in Ankara, Türkiye, with ages ranging from 18 to 29 years. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to test the proposed model. Findings: The results indicated that the final model accounted for 32% of the variance in future anxiety. Individuals with higher levels of psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and cognitive defusion reported lower levels of future anxiety, whereas those with greater value-related obstruction reported higher levels of future anxiety. Progress in values did not significantly predict future anxiety. Conclusion: The findings underscore the critical role of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in understanding and addressing future anxiety among emerging adults.