The Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy in the Relationship Between Achievement Academic Identity, Secure Attachment Style and Maladaptive Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies in Students

The purpose of the present study was to investigate mediating role of academic self-efficacy in the relationship between achievement academic identity, secure attachment style and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in students. This was descriptive-correlation research with structural equations modeling. The statistical population was female students in Tehran city in year academic 2023-2024. The sample size was selected and with random cluster sampling of 600 students. Data collection tools include the social networking addiction scale (SNAS), academic identity status questionnaire (AISQ), revised version adult attachment scale (RAAS), cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (CERQ) and academic self-efficacy questionnaire (ASEQ). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and structural equations modeling with SPSS version 28 and AMOS version 26. The results showed direct effect of chievement academic identity (β= -0.15 and sig=0.001), secure attachment style (β= -0.23 and sig=0.001), maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (β=0.48 and sig=0.001) and academic self-efficacy (β= -0.43 and sig=0.001) were significant on addiction to social networks. Also, the results showed that academic self-efficacy had a mediating role in relationship between chievement academic identity (β= -0.34 and sig=0.001), secure attachment style (β= -0.26 and sig=0.001) and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (β= 0.29 and sig=0.002) with addiction to social networks. Based on the results of this research, it is suggested that the relationship between these variables should be taken into consideration in interventions addiction to social networks in students and cyber psychologists can use the results of such research to help students with addiction to virtual social networks.