Interpersonal Emotion Regulation and Conflict Resolution Styles in Relation to Brain Fog: The Mediating Role of Emotional Self-Efficacy Among Married Working Women

Zahra Bahrami; Amin Barazandeh

Authors

Zahra Bahrami Department of Psychology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6231-4748
Amin Barazandeh Department of Psychology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran. https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8730-3314

Keywords:

brain fog, emotional self-efficacy, interpersonal emotion regulation, conflict resolution styles, married working women

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationships of interpersonal emotion regulation and conflict resolution styles with brain fog and to determine the mediating role of emotional self-efficacy among married working women. This descriptive-correlational study used path analysis. The statistical population consisted of married working women in Isfahan, Iran, in 2026, and 261 participants were recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the 23-item Brain Fog Scale, the 20-item Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the 28-item Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II, and the 32-item Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and path analysis in SPSS and AMOS. Model fit was evaluated using CMIN/df, IFI, CFI, TLI, AGFI, RMSEA, and PCLOSE, and indirect effects were examined using bootstrapping with 2,000 resamples. The final model showed acceptable fit, with CMIN/df = 3.155, IFI = .941, CFI = .939, TLI = .892, AGFI = .855, RMSEA = .080, and PCLOSE = .050. Enhancing positive affect, integrating, compromising, and obliging significantly predicted higher emotional self-efficacy. Perspective taking negatively predicted mental fatigue, whereas soothing and avoiding positively predicted mental fatigue. Soothing and avoiding positively predicted reduced cognitive sharpness, while integrating and emotional self-efficacy negatively predicted it. Soothing and avoiding positively predicted confusion, whereas integrating negatively predicted confusion. Emotional self-efficacy significantly mediated the relationships of enhancing positive affect with mental fatigue and reduced cognitive sharpness, integrating with mental fatigue and reduced cognitive sharpness, and compromising and obliging with mental fatigue and reduced cognitive sharpness. Several additional significant indirect effects were observed for confusion. The findings indicate that interpersonal emotion regulation and conflict resolution styles are associated with different dimensions of brain fog and that emotional self-efficacy is an important explanatory mechanism linking adaptive interpersonal and conflict-management processes with lower cognitive difficulties among married working women.

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