Turkish adaptation of the Dark Future Scale: Longitudinal associations between future anxiety, self-compassion, academic self-efficacy, and test anxiety among college students

Studies on test anxiety frequently focus on risk factors, whereas the relationships between future anxiety, test anxiety, and the protective factors that may mediate this relationship have rarely been studied. While cross-sectional studies have explored the connections between these variables, the lack of their simultaneous consideration in longitudinal research has left a gap in the existing literature. The aim of this research was to examine the psychometric properties of the Dark Future Scale (Study 1), and to examine whether self-compassion and academic self-efficacy mediate the longitudinal relationship between future anxiety and test anxiety among college students (Study 2). The Study 1 participants were 393 (Mean = 22.25, SD = 3.43) and Study 2 participants were 169 (Mean = 20.84, SD = 2.31) college students. The results showed that the Dark Future Scale met the criteria for validity and reliability. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine the longitudinal mediation at two waves. The results indicated that self-compassion and academic self-efficacy have a longitudinal mediating role in the association between future anxiety and test anxiety. In conclusion, self-compassion and academic self-efficacy may reduce the negative effect of future anxiety on test anxiety.