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. 2025 Mar 19;20(3):e0319700.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319700. eCollection 2025.

Online risk exposure and anxiety among college students in China: The chain mediating role of negative attribution and interpersonal security

Haihong Wang  1   2 , Shang Zhang  1 , Na Sun  1 , Senqing Qi  3 , Xinfa Yi  3   4
Affiliations

Online risk exposure and anxiety among college students in China: The chain mediating role of negative attribution and interpersonal security

Haihong Wang et al. PLoS One. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Despite evidence supporting the relationship between online risk exposure and anxiety, the underlying mechanisms remain underexplored. This study aimed to construct and validate a chain-mediation structural equation model to investigate how online risk exposure influences anxiety among college students. Data was collected online in April 2023 from a sample of college students (N = 986, 64.6% female) using validated scales measuring online risk exposure, negative attribution, interpersonal security, and anxiety. The results showed that online risk exposure not only directly exacerbates anxiety but also indirectly affects it through three distinct pathways: negative attribution, interpersonal insecurity, and their chain relationship. These mediation effects accounted for 41.16%, 20.47%, and 4.65% of the total effects, respectively. These findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions aimed at reducing online risk exposure, improving negative attribution styles, and enhancing interpersonal security among college students. The study concludes by discussing its limitations and proposing directions for future research.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Research hypothetical model.
Fig 2
Fig 2. The multi-mediating model M5 of negative attribution and interpersonal security in online risk exposure and anxiety (N=  986).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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