Neuroticism and Test Anxiety among Chinese Students: The Mediating Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Meta-worry

Background: Academic examinations are highly valued and emphasized in China. As a result, test anxiety is a widespread phenomenon. Aims: This study investigated the correlation between neuroticism and test anxiety, and the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and meta-worry. Methods: A total of 1109 Chinese college students, including 623 females and 486 males with an average age of 21.56(2.24) were recruited for the study. Neuroticism, IU, meta-worry, and test anxiety were determined using self-report questionnaires. Results: The results showed that 45.0% of the participants had moderate test anxiety, while 19.9% suffered from severe test anxiety. The neuroticism, IU, and meta-worry frequency scale scores were correlated significantly to the test anxiety. PROCESS v 3.3 macro in SPSS was used to test the mediation role. Conclusions: The relationship between neuroticism and test anxiety was partially mediated to IU and meta-worry. The study findings suggest that neuroticism can affect test anxiety through decreased intolerance of uncertainty and heightened meta-worry frequency among Chinese students.