Trait Anxiety and Cyberbullying Among University Students: The Mediating Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty and the Moderating Effect of Mindfulness

Abstract

Cyberbullying threatens psychological well-being and the quality of online social environments. This study examined the statistical association of trait anxiety with cyberbullying, with intolerance of uncertainty as a statistical intermediary, utilizing the General Aggression Model and Monitoring and Acceptance Theory, and investigated whether mindfulness moderates this association. A cross-sectional study was performed, including 1247 university students. Findings from Hayes’ PROCESS Model 8 indicated that trait anxiety is significantly and positively related to cyberbullying, with intolerance of uncertainty serving as a statistical intermediary in this relationship. Moreover, mindfulness significantly moderated both the first-stage pathway and the direct association between trait anxiety and cyberbullying. The positive association of trait anxiety with intolerance of uncertainty and cyberbullying was considerably diminished by elevated levels of mindfulness. These findings identify intolerance of uncertainty as a cognitive-affective statistical indirect pathway linking anxiety-related vulnerability to cyberbullying and suggest that mindfulness may serve as a potential protective correlate. They also point to possible targets for future longitudinal and intervention research.