Intolerance of Uncertainty and Mindfulness as Determinants of Anxiety and Depression in Female Students.
Marina Nekić, Severina Mamić
Behavioral Sciences December 3, 2019 DOI: 10.3390/bs9120135 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 282 |
| Population | Female college students, average age 21 |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Female students Intolerance of uncertainty |
| Key findings | Intolerance of uncertainty and mindfulness each significantly predicted anxiety and depression in female college students, and mindfulness partially mediated the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and both anxiety and depression. Students showed moderate levels of anxiety and depression, with average levels of intolerance of uncertainty and mindfulness. |
Abstract
Bearing in mind the characteristics of an academic setting, as well as the developmental tasks young people inevitably face, there is a need to identify and study the factors that play an important role in the development and maintenance of psychological distress among college students. One factor that has emerged as crucial for the development of both anxiety and depression is the intolerance of uncertainty. On the other hand, there appears to be mounting evidence that mindfulness is an important factor that can be beneficial for the psychological health of college students. Taking this into consideration, the purpose of the current study was to determine the contribution of the intolerance of uncertainty and mindfulness in explaining the symptoms of depression and anxiety in a sample of female college students (n = 282) whose average age was 21. The results indicated that students had moderate levels of anxiety and depression. Additionally, they were, on average, intolerant of uncertainty and mindfulness. Two hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the intolerance of uncertainty and mindfulness significantly predict both anxiety and depression in female students, and that mindfulness partially mediates the relationship between the intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety/depression. The results are discussed in the light of previous studies, and its clinical implications.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 985 |
| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |
| 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 362 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Mindfulness and life satisfaction in post-earthquake young adults: longitudinal mediation by psychological adjustment. BMC Psychology February 3, 2026
- Mindfulness and anxiety among medicine college students: a moderated mediation model of intolerance of uncertainty and neuroticism Psychology, Health & Medicine August 25, 2025
- Effects of a Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Program on Intimate Relationships in a Youth Sample: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Behavioral Sciences June 9, 2021
- Examining the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions for anxiety in young adults: a narrative synthesis
Cites 5
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- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial The Lancet Public Health December 18, 2017
- Students and Teachers Benefit from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in a School-Embedded Pilot Study Frontiers in Psychology April 26, 2016
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