Exploring the interplay of cognitive flexibility, self-regulation, and perceived control in enhancing psychological recovery among competitive athletes

Introduction Psychological recovery is essential for maintaining performance and well-being among competitive athletes, yet the cognitive and self-regulatory mechanisms underlying recovery remain insufficiently understood. From a resource-based perspective, this study investigates how cognitive flexibility contributes to psychological recovery through self-regulation and examines the moderating role of perceived control in this process. Methods Data were collected through face-to-face surveys from 467 competitive athletes in China. A moderated mediation model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the relationships among cognitive flexibility, self-regulation, perceived control, and psychological recovery. Results The results indicate that cognitive flexibility is positively associated with self-regulation, which in turn positively predicts psychological recovery, supporting a significant indirect effect through self-regulation. Furthermore, perceived control significantly moderates the indirect relationship between cognitive flexibility and psychological recovery. Specifically, the mediated effect weakens as perceived control increases, indicating a boundary condition in the recovery process. Discussion This study advances recovery research by integrating cognitive adaptability, regulatory processes, and contextual perceptions. The findings conceptualize psychological recovery as a cognitively driven and self-regulated process. Practically, the results suggest that coaches and sport psychologists can promote athletes’ recovery by fostering cognitive flexibility and structured self-regulation strategies while carefully managing perceptions of control to avoid counterproductive overconfidence or rigid self-management.