diff --git a/tests/posix/common/src/pthread.c b/tests/posix/common/src/pthread.c
index 92e80c2b0556a..95fad3443e765 100644
--- a/tests/posix/common/src/pthread.c
+++ b/tests/posix/common/src/pthread.c
@@ -584,17 +584,15 @@ ZTEST(posix_apis, test_posix_pthread_create_negative)
 
 ZTEST(posix_apis, test_pthread_descriptor_leak)
 {
-	void *unused;
 	pthread_t pthread1;
 	pthread_attr_t attr;
 
-	zassert_ok(pthread_attr_init(&attr));
-	zassert_ok(pthread_attr_setstack(&attr, &stack_e[0][0], STACKS));
-
 	/* If we are leaking descriptors, then this loop will never complete */
 	for (size_t i = 0; i < CONFIG_MAX_PTHREAD_COUNT * 2; ++i) {
+		zassert_ok(pthread_attr_init(&attr));
+		zassert_ok(pthread_attr_setstack(&attr, &stack_e[0][0], STACKS));
 		zassert_ok(pthread_create(&pthread1, &attr, create_thread1, NULL),
 			   "unable to create thread %zu", i);
-		zassert_ok(pthread_join(pthread1, &unused), "unable to join thread %zu", i);
+		zassert_ok(pthread_join(pthread1, NULL), "unable to join thread %zu", i);
 	}
 }