Differentiating the roles of intolerance of uncertainty and negative beliefs about worry across emotional disorders

Abstract

Background: Researchers have examined intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and negative beliefs about worry (NBW) in emotional disorders. However, the distinct relationships of IU and NBW remain unclear. We examined IU and NBW across emotional disorders, controlling for overlapping symptoms. We also explored prospective and inhibitory IU. Methods: A sample of 565 undergraduates completed measures of IU and NBW, as well as measures of generalized anxiety, depression, social anxiety, panic, post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive, and illness anxiety disorder symptoms. Regression analyses were used to determine which factors were uniquely associated with symptoms of each disorder. Results: Both IU and NBW were associated with generalized anxiety and social anxiety disorder symptoms. IU was also associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms and negatively associated with panic disorder symptoms. NBW was also associated with depression. Neither IU now NBW were associated with post-traumatic stress or illness anxiety disorders. Prospective and inhibitory IU also had differential associations with the emotional disorders. Conclusions: Our results indicate that IU and NBW, while transdiagnostic, are differentially associated with emotional disorder symptoms. Our results also support the discriminant validity of prospective and inhibitory IU.

Testing times: the association of intolerance of uncertainty and metacognitive beliefs to test anxiety in college students

“…A key point of divergence between the two models are the beliefs posited that heighten and maintain worry and anxiety, namely, intolerance of uncertainty and maladaptive metacognitive beliefs. Intolerance of uncertainty and metacognitive beliefs are differentially associated with emotional disorder symptoms among college students [37]. Both intolerance of uncertainty and maladaptive metacognitive beliefs have been linked to test anxiety but no study has investigated them both together to examine if one or both sets of beliefs play an important role in test anxiety.…”

No intolerance of errors: The effect of intolerance of uncertainty on performance monitoring revisited

“…Questions about the validity of the IUS-12 subfactors appear in the extant literature, with support being found for bifactor models with a high loading on a general IU factor (Bottesi et al, 2019;Hale et al, 2016;Lauriola et al, 2016;Shihata et al, 2018;Yao et al, 2021). However other groups have shown discriminant validity for P-IU and I-IU relating to psychopathology (Boelen et al, 2015;McEvoy & Mahoney, 2011;Penney et al, 2020;Saulnier et al, 2019). While considering the IU subfactors as separate constructs may be useful for distinguishing psychopathology (Penney et al, 2020;Yao et al, 2021), research designs employing additional neural, behavioral and psychophysiological approaches become complex.…”

“…However other groups have shown discriminant validity for P-IU and I-IU relating to psychopathology (Boelen et al, 2015;McEvoy & Mahoney, 2011;Penney et al, 2020;Saulnier et al, 2019). While considering the IU subfactors as separate constructs may be useful for distinguishing psychopathology (Penney et al, 2020;Yao et al, 2021), research designs employing additional neural, behavioral and psychophysiological approaches become complex. In particular, associations are harder to find when measurement levels exist at different levels of abstraction (Brandt & Mueller, 2022), such that trait personality variables (e.g., IU) can exist at highly abstracted levels of feeling and behavior and therefore may struggle to predict specific contextualized neurobiological variables (e.g., ERN).…”

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Does the Emotion Dysregulation Model Predict Symptoms Beyond the Metacognitive Model?

“…Therefore, the present study adds support to the MCM conceptualization of GAD. Negative beliefs about worry have been consistently associated with GAD and worry (Penney et al, 2020 ) and must be considered a primary factor in the development and maintenance of GAD. Positive beliefs about worry also emerged as a predictor of worry, but not GAD symptoms, across genders.…”