Mediating Role of Positive and Negative Experiences in the Relationship Between Self-Competence and Regret among Adults

Abstract

Despite the distress of regret, regret emerges as an important figure in self-regulation and shaping one's future. Although regret has an important role in adults' lives, the literature on how this emotion is affected by self-competence and which mediating variables affect this relationship is limited. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of negative and positive experiences in the relationship between self-competence and regret. The participants consisted of 572 individuals, including 402 females (70.3 %) and 170 males (29.7 %). The age of the participants ranged between 18 and 60 (25.34 ± 6.97). Correlation analyses revealed negatively relationship was determined between self-competence and regret, self-competence and negative experience as well. While positively correlation was found between self-competence and positive experience. The result of the analysis for the study model indicated that there was a mediating role of negative experience in the relationship between self-competence and regret. These results suggest that negative experience may be an underlying mechanism between self-competence and regret, and this experience can be exploited in therapeutic interventions.

Keywords

• self-competence
• regret
• positive and negative experience
• mediating role