Career Decision-Making Difficulties, Career Indecision, and Generalized Anxiety Among University Students: Mediating Role of Social Influence

Difficulties in career decision making have been linked to psychological distress in university students, especially when they enter the workforce, is a growing concern. This study used convenience sampling method and a cross-sectional correlational design to explore the relationship between career decision making difficulties, career indecision, generalized anxiety and social influence among university students of Pakistan and Nepal. Overall, 380 participants (171 males, 209 females) completed the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ), Career Indecision Profile–Short Form (CIP-Short), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and Social Influence Scale. All data were analyzed with SPSS version 27, and Pearson correlation, mediation and independent-samples t-test were used. Results indicated that there were positive correlations among career decision making difficulties and career indecision (r = .38) and generalized anxiety (r = .27) both of which were statistically significant at the .01 level. Social influence was also significantly related to career indecision and anxiety. Career decision making difficulties significantly predicted career indecision and generalized anxiety (β = .28, p < .001 and β = .18, p = .001, respectively) in the regression analyses. The results of the mediation analysis also showed that social influence was a partial mediator between career decision making difficulties and anxiety. No gender difference was found for any of the key variables in the study. The results indicate that those students who are having more problems in career decision making tend to be more susceptible to career indecision and anxiety, especially when there is greater social pressure. Results can assist university counsellors to develop interventions for students with regards to career decision-making skills, social support and anxiety management.