STATISTICAL ANXIETY IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: THE ROLE OF NEGATIVE PROBLEM ORIENTATION, WORRY, AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES

Functional models of anxiety based on dispositional variables have gained scientific acceptance. Their application to investigate constructs such as statistical anxiety can facilitate understanding and intervention. This study aimed to estimate whether dispositional variables such as worry and its negative consequences mediated the relationship between negative problem orientation and statistical anxiety among university students. We evaluated survey responses from a sample of 532 students and tested a multiple mediation model. Negative problem orientation indirectly influenced statistical anxiety through the negative consequences of worry. Negative problem orientation predicted worry but did not mediate the effect on statistical anxiety. Cognitive appraisal of the adverse sequelae of worry is a key variable in the manifestations of statistical anxiety in university students.