This study examines how intolerance of uncertainty, or the tendency to react negatively to uncertain situations, affects career decision-making difficulties. To date, only a handful of studies have examined the mechanisms or variables that mediate this relationship. Career adaptability has been recognized as an important coping resource, especially with the increased uncertainty due to unpredictable labour markets. The current thesis examines the relationships between intolerance of uncertainty with its subfactors, prospective anxiety and inhibitory anxiety, career adaptability, and career decision-making difficulty in 140 participants facing the transition from uni to work. The study conducted correlation and path analysis and assessed the mediating effect of career adaptability, to better understand the role of career adaptability in overall career decision making in the context of uncertainty. The results showed that higher intolerance of uncertainty was positively related to career decision-making difficulty, whereas career adaptability was negatively related to decision making difficulty. Intolerance of uncertainty and career adaptability showed no significant relationship, whereas inhibitory anxiety, showed a significant negative relationship. The mediating role of career adaptability was therefore only supported between inhibitory anxiety and career decision-making difficulties. Discussions on the role of career adaptability are introduced and practical implications for career counseling are suggested, along with the limitations of the study.
- Intolerance of uncertainty
- Career decision-making difficulties
- Career adaptability
- Prospective anxiety
- Inhibitory anxiety
- Transition from university to work
- Mestrado em Gestão e Administração de Empresas
The impact of intolerance of uncertainty on career decision-making: the mediating effect of career adaptability
Canli, B. B. (Student). 16 Oct 2024
Student thesis: Master's Thesis