The impact of proactive personality on career choice anxiety among university students: the chain mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and career decision making difficulties

Objective: Based on the theoretical frameworks of social cognitive career theory and cognitive-behavioral theory, this study aimed to construct a chain mediation model to explore the impact of proactive personality on career choice anxiety among university students, with a specific focus on the mediating mechanisms of intolerance of uncertainty and career decision-making difficulties. Methods: A convenience sampling method was employed, and 555 university students from Jiangsu Province were surveyed using questionnaires. The measurement tools included the Proactive Personality Scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Career Decision-Making Difficulties Scale, and Career Choice Anxiety Scale. Structural equation modeling was conducted to assess the model fit, and the bias-corrected percentile Bootstrap method was used to test the mediation effects, evaluating the significance of direct, indirect, and chain mediation effects. Results: < 0.01).(2) Intolerance of uncertainty was found to partially mediate the relationship between proactive personality and career choice anxiety (effect = -0.099, 95% CI [-0.1375, -0.0637]).(3) Career decision-making difficulties were identified as a partial mediator between proactive personality and career choice anxiety (effect = -0.062, 95% CI [-0.0904, -0.0355]).(4) A significant Chain mediation effect was demonstrated through intolerance of uncertainty and career decision-making difficulties in the association between proactive personality and career choice anxiety (effect = -0.034, 95% CI [-0.0486, -0.0208]). This chain mediation pathway reveals an underlying mechanism progressing from "cognitive appraisal" to "behavioral decision-making" and ultimately to "emotional outcomes." Conclusion: Proactive personality was not only directly and negatively associated with career choice anxiety but also showed indirect links to it through the independent mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and career decision-making difficulties, as well as their chain mediation pathway. From a cognitive-behavioral perspective, this study elucidates the formation mechanism of career choice anxiety, providing a theoretical basis and practical implications for career psychological interventions in higher education.