Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40635116›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2025

Intolerance of uncertainty and COVID-19-related post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in US and Korean college students: serial mediation by COVID-19 concerns and loneliness.

Ji Geun Kim, Hyunjung Yang, Deachul Seo, Gayeon Lee, Mijeong Park, Larkin S McReynolds, Lawrence V Amsel, Soo Hyun Park, Juyoen Hur, Young-Hoon Kim and 1 more

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Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Ji Geun KimDepartment of Psychology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.
Hyunjung YangUniversity College, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea. vette0330@yonsei.ac.kr.
Deachul SeoDepartment of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
Gayeon LeeDepartment of Psychology, University of Kansas, KS, Lawrence, USA.
Mijeong ParkDivision of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
Larkin S McReynoldsDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, USA.
Lawrence V AmselDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, USA.
Soo Hyun ParkDepartment of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
Juyoen HurDepartment of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
Young-Hoon KimDepartment of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
Sanghoon HanDepartment of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.

Funding

Cognitive Control in Children of SUD Parents: A Longitudinal Multimodal MRI StudyR01DA038154 · NIDA · NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE DBA RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC · PI HOVEN, CHRISTINA W., MCREYNOLDS, LARKIN STREET · 2015 to 2020
$4.4M
NIDA NIH HHS 3R01DA038154-05W1NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA038154Yonsei Signature Research Cluster Program 2022-22-0006
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis cross-national study aims to identify risk factors and mechanisms for developing COVID-19-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in college students from the US and Korea. Given the prevalence of traumatic stress reactions during the pandemic, PTSD symptoms serve as an important indicator of psychological maladjustment. College students, identified as a vulnerable population, are the focus of this research. To address the lack of cross-national studies on PTSD symptoms and related psychological factors, we recruited participants from the US and Korea-two countries with distinct cultural orientations (e.g., individualism vs. collectivism) and pandemic contexts. This sampling approach allowed us to test whether the same psychological pathways would be observed across culturally different contexts. Specifically, the study examines intolerance of uncertainty as a risk factor and investigates the mediating effects of COVID-19 concerns and loneliness on the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms.

methodsThe study included 448 college students from the US and 674 college students from Korea, aged 18 to 29, who completed an online survey measuring intolerance of uncertainty, COVID-19 concerns, loneliness, and COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms. Data were collected from September 2020 to May 2021 in the US and in August 2021 in Korea. Mediation analyses were used to assess the indirect effects of intolerance of uncertainty on COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms through COVID-19 concerns and loneliness. We assessed the significance of indirect effects using bootstrap analyses with 5,000 resamples and 95% confidence intervals. Furthermore, we compared the differences in indirect effects between US and Korean students in each mediation model using a likelihood ratio test.

resultsPreliminary analyses showed that US college students reported significantly higher levels of PTSD symptoms, loneliness, whereas Korean students reported greater COVID-19 concerns. Simple mediation analyses showed that COVID-19 concerns and loneliness were significant mediators in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms in both samples. Additionally, COVID-19 concerns and loneliness had significant serial mediating effects on the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms in both samples. Lastly, the indirect effect of intolerance of uncertainty on COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms mediated by COVID-19 concerns was significantly higher among college students in the US.

conclusionsThis study provides comprehensive insights into the mechanisms underlying COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms in college students from the US and Korea, emphasizing the roles of intolerance of uncertainty, COVID-19 concerns, and loneliness, which have implications for designing effective interventions and support strategies during the pandemic.

Indexed as

COVID-19LonelinessStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticStudentsAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMaleRepublic of KoreaRisk FactorsUncertaintyUnited StatesUniversitiesYoung AdultCollege studentsCOVID-19COVID-19 concernsIntolerance of uncertaintyLonelinessPTSD symptoms

Identifiers

PMID40635116
PMCPMC12243339

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.