Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T05:02:45.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Comparing the Roles of Ambiguity and Unpredictability in Intolerance of Uncertainty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2015

Simon Patrick Byrne ,
Caroline Jane Hunt  and
Betty P. I. Chang
Simon Patrick Byrne*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Caroline Jane Hunt
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Betty P. I. Chang
Affiliation:
Institute for Psychological Sciences, University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
*
Address for correspondence: Simon Patrick Byrne, School of Psychology, Brennan MacCallum Building (A18), The University of Sydney, NSW 2006Australia. E-mail: simonbyrne51@hotmail.com
Get access

Abstract

One means by which Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) purports to contribute to anxiety is by increasing Threat Perception (TP). This process was examined by comparing two different definitions of uncertainty: ambiguity versus unpredictability. N = 104 participants were measured for IU and then made worry and TP estimates for four different scenario types: Ambiguous Scenarios (where an outcome could be interpreted as threatening), Unpredictable Positive Scenarios (where a surprising and positive outcome was anticipated), as well as Positive and Negative Scenarios (with certain outcome). Both Ambiguous and Unpredictable Positive Scenarios more strongly predicted the relationship between IU and worry scores than (certain) Positive or Negative Scenarios. The relationship between IU and ‘ambiguous worry’ was largely explained by TP estimates, whereas the relationship between IU and ‘Unpredictable Positive Worry’ was largely independent of TP. Results suggest ambiguity and unpredictability are differentially explained by TP such that they produce different types of response. The authors argue ambiguity and unpredictability are explanatory components within IU.

Keywords

intolerance of uncertainty (IU)generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)threat perception (TP)worry
Type
Standard Papers
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , April 2015 , pp. 26 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barlow, D.H. (2000). Unravelling the mysteries of anxiety and its disorders from the perspective of emotion theory. American Psychologist, 55, 1245–1263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berenbaum, H., Bredemeier, K., & Thompson, R.J. (2008). Intolerance of uncertainty: exploring its dimensionality and associations with need for cognitive closure, psychopathology and personality. Journal of Anxiety Disorder, 22, 117–125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berenbaum, H., Thompson, R.J., & Pomerantz, E.M. (2007). The relation between worry and concerns: The importance of perceived probability and cost. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45, 301–311.Google Scholar
Birrell, J., Meares, K., Wilkinson, A., & Freeston, M. (2011). Toward a definition of Intolerance of Uncertainty: A review of factor analytical studies of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. Clinical Psychology Review, 31, 1198–1208.Google Scholar
Bredemeier, K., & Berenbaum, H. (2008). Intolerance of uncertainty and perceived threat. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46, 28–38.Google Scholar
Buhr, K., & Dugas, M.J. (2002). The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale: Psychometric properties of the English version. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 931–945.Google Scholar
Carleton, R.N. (2012). The intolerance of uncertainty construct in the context of anxiety disorders: Theoretical and practical perspectives. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 12, 937–947.Google Scholar
Carleton, R.N., Norton, P.J., & Asmundson, G. (2007). Fearing the unknown. A short version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 21, 105–117.Google Scholar
Dellerba, M., Gervais, N.J., & Dugas, M.J. (2007, November). The relation between intolerance of uncertainty and appraisals: The role of perceived probability and perceived personal cost. Poster presented at the 41st Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Dugas, M.J., Buhr, K., & Ladouceur, R. (2004). The role of intolerance of uncertainty in etiology and maintenance. In Heimberg, R.G., Turk, C.L., & Mennin, D.S. (Eds.), Generalized anxiety disorder: Advances in research and practice (pp. 142–163). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Freeston, M. H., Rheaume, J., Letarte, H., Dugas, M.J., & Ladouceur, R. (1994). Why do people worry? Personality and Individual Differences, 17, 791–802.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koerner, N., & Dugas, M.J. (2006). A cognitive model of generalized anxiety disorder: The role of intolerance of uncertainty. In Davey, G.C.L., & Wells, A. (Eds.), Worry and its psychological disorders: Theory, assessment and treatment (pp. 201–216). Hoboken, US: Wiley Publishing.Google Scholar
Koerner, N., & Dugas, M.J. (2008). An investigation of appraisals in individuals vulnerable to excessive worry: The role of intolerance of uncertainty. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 32, 619–638.Google Scholar
McEvoy, P.M., & Mahoney, A.J. (2012). To be sure, to be sure: Intolerance of uncertainty mediates symptoms of various anxiety disorders and depression. Behavior Therapy, 43, 533–545.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
MacLeod, C., & Rutherford, E. (2004) Information-processing approaches: Assessing the selective functioning of attention, interpretation, and retrieval. In Heimberg, R.G., Turk, C.L., & Mennin, D.S. (Eds.), Generalized anxiety disorder: Advances in research and practice (pp.109–142). New York: Guildford Press.Google Scholar
Seligman, M.E.P. (1968). Chronic fear produced by unpredictable electric shock. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 66, 402–411.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sexton, K., & Dugas, M.J. (2009). Defining distinct negative beliefs about uncertainty: Validating the factor structure of the intolerance of uncertainty scale. Psychological Assessment, 21, 176–186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed