Psychometric Properties of Career Flexibility and Its Mediating Role in the Relationship Between Strategies for Coping with Career Indecision and Career Distress in University Students

Objective: To investigate the mediating role of career flexibility in the relationship between strategies for coping with career indecision and career distress among university students, and to conduct a psychometric validation of the Persian version of the Career Flexibility Inventory (CFI). Method: A two-phase, cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 517 Iranian university students. Phase one involved a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to validate the CFI. Phase two tested the proposed mediation model using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with a bootstrapping procedure. Findings: The CFA confirmed th)e psychometric soundness and three-factor structure (Wavering, Adaptation, Flexible Thinking) of the Persian CFI, with excellent model fit (CFI = .975, RMSEA = .036). SEM results revealed that career flexibility partially mediated the relationship between coping strategies and career distress. Productive coping was associated with lower distress indirectly through its positive effect on Adaptation (Standardized Indirect Effect = –.124), while nonproductive coping was linked to higher distress indirectly through its positive effect on Wavering (Standardized Indirect Effect = .106). Conclusion: Career flexibility is a crucial mechanism explaining how coping strategies influence career distress; productive coping enhances active flexibility (Adaptation) to reduce distress, whereas nonproductive coping fosters passive flexibility (Wavering) that exacerbates it. The study provides a validated instrument for the Iranian context and highlights the importance of designing career interventions that build adaptive flexibility, rather than merely targeting distress.