Mediating Effect of Dysfunctional Career Thinking in the Relationship between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Career Indecision of Ordinary High School Students

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty, career indecision, and dysfunctional career thinking in ordinary high school students, and to verify the mediating effect of dysfunctional career thinking in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and career indecision. Methods: Research data were collected from 443 high school students in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, and the data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro (Model=4) of Hayes (2022), which is a method of verifying mediating effects using bootstrapping. Results: The research results are as follows: First, there was a significant correlation between intolerance of uncertainty, career indecision, and dysfunctional career thinking of high school students. The higher intolerance of uncertainty, the higher dysfunctional career thinking, and the higher dysfunctional career thinking, the higher career indecision. Second, dysfunctional career thinking showed a complete mediating effect in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and career indecision. Conclusion: The above research results suggest that not only intolerance of uncertainty, but also educational and counseling interventions that can correct dysfunctional career thinking in a desirable direction are needed to resolve career indecision of high school student.