Factors associated with anxiety among college students: a combined analysis using regression and fsQCA

Background This study explores the associations of information overload (IO), perceived involution (PI), psychological richness (PR), and meaning in life (MIL) with anxiety among college students. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,325 college students. A demographic questionnaire, the IO scale, the PI scale, the PR scale, and the MIL scale served as the measurement tools. Spearman correlation analysis was applied to examine the bivariate associations among variables. Linear mixed models and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) were adopted to investigate the interrelationships between IO, PI, PR, MIL, and anxiety. Results The linear mixed model results indicated that IO had positive indirect associations with anxiety via both MIL and PR. PI showed a positive direct association with anxiety but negative indirect associations through MIL and PR. The fsQCA results further revealed that no single antecedent condition was necessary for anxiety. One high-anxiety configuration was dominated by the core conditions of high IO and high PI, along with the absence of PR and MIL. Conclusion College students’ anxiety is associated with both external stressors and internal psychological resources. These preliminary findings may inform future longitudinal and intervention studies.