Future anxiety and psychological wellbeing among sport sciences students: the mediating role of mental toughness and the moderating roles of income level and gender

Background

Investigating the mechanisms of future anxiety requires a sample exposed to both high career uncertainty and intense performance pressures. Sport sciences students represent a uniquely suited and critical population for this purpose, as their educational context simultaneously demands rigorous physical performance, highly competitive labor conditions, and the management of career-related ambiguities. Therefore, this study focuses on this specific sample to explore how future anxiety is associated with psychological wellbeing and whether mental toughness may serve as a protective mechanism.