Investigating the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty and difficulty in emotion regulation in the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being in university students

This study aims to examine the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being among university students. As secondary objectives, the study examined whether individuals' levels of self-efficacy, psychological well-being, intolerance of uncertainty, and difficulty regulating emotions differed based on data obtained from a sociodemographic data form. The study employed a correlational survey model. The sample consisted of 469 participants, including 238 female and 231 male university students. The data collection tools used in the study were the Socio-Demographic Data Form, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Psychological Well-Being Scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale Short Form, and Emotion Regulation Difficulty Scale Short Form. The data were collected via Google Forms. SPSS 27.0 software and the Hayes PROCESS macro add-on were used in the data analysis process. The study found that intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation difficulties played a mediating role in the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being. The findings were discussed in the context of the literature, and recommendations were made for future studies.