How does intolerance of uncertainty affect digital self-harm? The mediating role of anxiety symptoms and the buffering role of psychological capital

In an increasingly digitalized society, digital self-harm has become an important online public health issue. Understanding the underlying risk and protective factors is essential to developing effective prevention and intervention strategies. This study employed a moderated mediation model to investigate the impacts of intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety symptoms as risk factors, alongside psychological capital (i.e., hope, self-efficacy, optimism, and resilience) as a protective factor, on digital self-harm. A total of 2167 Chinese university students (68.6% females, M age = 18.91, SD = 1.31) completed self-report questionnaires regarding IU, anxiety symptoms, digital self-harm, and psychological capital. The findings revealed that IU was positively linked to digital self-harm, with anxiety symptoms mediating this relationship. Additionally, all four dimensions of psychological capital were found to mitigate the negative impact of IU on anxiety symptoms and the subsequent effect of anxiety symptoms on digital self-harm. Notably, hope uniquely attenuated the direct association between IU and digital self-harm. This study represents the first attempt to explore the risk factors and protective factors associated with digital self-harm among Chinese university students. These results enhance our understanding of how digital self-harm develops and offer valuable insights for its prevention and intervention efforts while also providing directions for future research. • Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) was positively associated with digital self-harm. • Anxiety symptoms partially mediated the relationship between IU and digital self-harm. • Psychological capital weakened the links among IU, anxiety symptoms, and digital self-harm. • Hope weakened the direct association between IU and digital self-harm.