Adaptation and Validation of Learned Helplessness Scale in Chinese Law School Students.

Purpose: This study aims to translate and validate the Learned Helplessness Scale (LHS) for use in the educational context and specifically among Chinese law school students. Understanding learned helplessness in the context of Chinese law students can provide unique insights into the interaction of legal education, psychological health, and cultural influences, thereby contributing to a more nuanced understanding of learned helplessness. Methods: A total of 711 Chinese college students from two law schools participated in this study. The Learned Helplessness Scale (LHS) was translated into Chinese using forward and backward translation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and construct validity were conducted to assess the dimensionality of the Chinese version of the LHS (Chinese LHS). Results: The exploratory factor analysis indicated that the Chinese LHS has a four-factor structure consisting of 14 items, which accounted for 50% of the total variance. The subsequent confirmatory factor analysis further supported this four-factor structure. The internal consistency of the Chinese LHS was found to be medium to high, with Cronbach's α values ranging from 0.63 to 0.87 for the subfactors, and 0.79 for the total scale. In addition, concurrent validity is also confirmed. Conclusion: The 14-item version of the Chinese LHS is a psychometric sound instrument for assessing learned helplessness among Chinese law school students.

Intolerance of uncertainty and future career anxiety among Chinese undergraduate students during COVID-19 period: Fear of COVID-19 and depression as mediators.

Uncertainty is mushrooming throughout COVID-19, and intolerance of uncertainty (IoU) nudges people into mental health difficulties involving fear, depression, and anxiety. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of depression and fear of COVID-19 (FoC) in the association between IoU and future career anxiety (FCA) among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study involved 1,919 Chinese undergraduate students from 11 universities in eight Chinese cities with an online self-administered survey that included demographic information, IoU, FoC, depression, and FCA completed by all participants. Our study demonstrated a positive relationship between IoU and FCA and the chain mediation effect of FoC and depression. Thus, understanding how FoC affects FCA not only informs university career professionals and assists students in preparing for employment, but also motivates schools to offer career opportunities workshops and, most importantly, provides mental health support to help students effectively cope with uncertainty and overcome COVID-19-related stress.