The Influence of Intolerance of Uncertainty on Social Anxiety in University Students: The Sequential Mediating Effect of Core Self-Evaluation and Attentional Control

Social anxiety is a serious and prevalent psychological problem among university students, with intolerance of uncertainty playing an important role in its formation and development. The underlying mediating processes remain elusive despite the existing research on the association between these two constructs. This investigation developed a sequential mediation model grounded in the triadic reciprocal determinism theory to examine the intermediary roles of core self-evaluation and attentional control. Utilizing a convenience sampling method, a total of 1580 undergraduate students were recruited for this study. The study variables were assessed using scales measuring intolerance of uncertainty, core self-evaluation, attention control, and social interaction anxiety. The results revealed a significant and positive predictive relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and social anxiety (effect = 0.10; SE = 0.02; 95% CI = [0.00, 0.05]; p < 0.001). Intolerance of uncertainty directly and indirectly impacted social anxiety via three pathways: the independent mediating influence of core self-evaluation (effect = 0.15; SE = 0.02; 95% CI = [0.12, 0.18]; p < 0.001), the independent mediating influence of attentional control (effect = 0.03; SE = 0.01; 95% CI = [0.02, 0.05]; p < 0.001), and a serial mediation effect involving both core self-evaluation and attentional control (effect = 0.04; SE = 0.01; 95% CI = [0.03, 0.06]; p < 0.001). These direct and indirect effects contributed 30.03% and 69.97% to the overall effect, respectively. This study offers novel insights for interventions and treatments targeting social anxiety in university students.