The Influence of College Students’ Attribution Styles on Anxiety Levels: The Mediating Role of Rumination Thinking

Objective: To investigate the mechanism by which college students’ attribution styles influence anxiety levels, particularly the mediating role of rumination and potential gender differences. Methods: Based on attribution style theory and the “adaptive-maladaptive rumination” theory, 369 college students from multiple provinces were selected as research subjects. A one-month questionnaire survey was conducted using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Attribution Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and the Rumination Rating Scale (RRS). Key Findings: 1) Anxiety is prevalent among college students, with female students exhibiting significantly higher anxiety levels than male students; 2) Anxiety levels are significantly negatively correlated with persistent attributions for positive events and significantly positively correlated with internal and global attributions for negative events; 3) In the pathway through which attribution style influences anxiety, rumination plays a fully mediating role (i.e., attribution styles primarily increase anxiety by increasing rumination). Conclusion: This study elucidates the mechanism by which attribution styles exacerbate anxiety through rumination, providing a new perspective for understanding mental exhaustion among college students. It suggests that future research could improve overall anxiety among college students by intervening in attribution styles and rumination.