"Beyond the bombs": The Mediating Role of the Intolerance of Uncertainty and Future Anxiety in the Relationship Between Fear of War and Young Italian Adults' Psychological Distress

In between the Russian-Ukrainian War and the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, the war is back to the center of contemporary debates, with relevant consequences affecting the psychological well-being of geographically distant populations. Although several reports indicate growing worry for the expansion of conflicts in young Italian adults, the indirect psychological impact of war remains partly unexplored in Italy - particularly in a target group living in a delicate phase of developmental transition and already affected by the pandemic collective trauma. Using the Fear of War Scale - which we adapted and validated in Italian - and with the intention of filling this gap, the present study investigates the psychological impact of Fear of War on Psychological Distress in a sample of 310 Italian Young Adults (18–30 years; M = 22.0; SD = 2.6), exploring the potential mediating effect of Future Anxiety and Intolerance of Uncertainty. Results reveal a strong impact of war on Italian young adults, highlighting that Fear of War is increasing Depression, Anxiety and Stress levels. In addition, parallel mediation models show that Fear of War fosters Intolerance of Uncertainty and Future Anxiety, with the latter increasing the likelihood of experiencing psychological distress. The findings also show significantly higher levels of Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Fear of War and Future Anxiety in women. These findings shed light on new trajectories aimed at understanding the sources of youth distress, highlighting the pivotal role of potentially traumatic collective events. They also contribute to the implementation of targeted intervention projects, among which the construction of a group space where one can express and, above all, share the 'negative' associated with such events. If reflection practices enhance individual capacities of representation and understanding, the 'discovery' of sharing worries and fears may counteract the sense of loneliness and powerlessness. By reinforcing cognitive and emotional skills, group work may enhance individual and group agency, helping to better tolerate the inevitable uncertainty associated with developmental transition as well as rekindling the hope of being able to affect reality - a crucial building block for a 'good enough' perspective on the future.