Intolerance of uncertainty in post-pandemic era and cyberbullying among Chinese university students: the mediating role of negative attention bias and moderating role of connectedness to nature

Cyberbullying is a major problem in modern society. This study aimed to explore whether intolerance of uncertainty i s related to cyberbullying among Chinese university students, as well as the mediating effects of negative attentional bias and the moderating role of connectedness to nature. This study used convenience sampling to recruit 779 Chinese university students to complete the Chinese versions of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Negative Attention Bias Scale, E-Bullying Scale, and Connectedness to Nature Scale. The analysis revealed that intolerance of uncertainty positively predicted cyberbullying. Negative attentional bias mediated the effect of uncertainty intolerance on cyberbullying, meaning that intolerance of uncertainty may also contribute to cyberbullying via its effect on negative attentional bias. Connectedness to nature moderated the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and negative attentional bias. From the perspective of the natural environment, the results of this study have both theoretical and practical implications for reducing cyberbullying among university students.