Sana Shahid2026-01-212026-01-212025-08-26https://escholar.umt.edu.pk/handle/123456789/18353The current study provided valuable insight into the complex relationship between mental toughness, academic procrastination and career anxiety in university students. Correlational cross-sectional research design was used with purposive sampling strategy for collecting data from university students (N = 300) aged 19-32 years (M =23.28, SD = 2.05). The indigenous scales including Mental Toughness Scale (Anthony & Saleem, 2020), Student Procrastination Scale (Mahmood & Subhan, 2015), and newly developed Career Anxiety Scale were used for data collection. Factor Analysis revealed three factors of Career Anxiety Scale with excellent reliability and validity. Correlation analysis depicted that Mental Toughness had significant positive association with Career Preparation Anxiety while had significant negative association with academic procrastination and Intrapersonal Career Anxiety. Academic Procrastination had significant positive correlation with Career Anxiety. Regression analysis indicated that gender and Mental Toughness significant negatively while no. of times students applied for job and Academic Procrastination significant positively predict Career Anxiety. Mediation analysis depicted that academic procrastination fully mediated the relationship between mental toughness and intrapersonal career anxiety in university students. Independent sample t-test depicted that male students had higher mental toughness, academic procrastination, and career anxiety than females. MS students had higher mental toughness while BS students scored higher on academic procrastination. Higher mental toughness and career anxiety was reported among students who had applied for job. The study findings were discussed in the light of literature and culture.enThesis