Intolerance of Uncertainty and Tendency to Worry as Mediators Between Trust in Institutions and Social Support and Fear of Coronavirus and Consequences of the Pandemic

Abstract

The aim of this article is to formulate and test a model integrating cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) findings regarding the importance of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and tendency to worry with findings regarding the importance of trust in institutions, other people, and social support. We assumed that trust in institutions, other people, and social support reduce fear of the coronavirus and of the consequences of the pandemic in a direct way, but also indirectly by enhancing one’s sense of control and diminishing the tendency to worry which, further, attenuates fear of the coronavirus and fear of the consequences of the pandemic. An online survey was conducted among the Serbian general population (N = 1409, 78.1% female, M = 38.82, SD = 9.24) at the end of April 2020, which included questionnaires on fear of SARS-CoV-2, fear of consequences of the pandemic, social support, trust in other people and trust in political and health institutions. The model has been validated by data from our study suggesting that it represents one possible pattern of interrelationships between social and intrapsychic variables in the pandemic situation. Results also showed that the COVID-19 related fears are related more strongly to intrapsychic variables – IU and tendency to worry – than to variables operationalizing social context relevant for coping with pandemic at the social and individual level.

The Effect of Intervention Approaches of Emotion Regulation and Learning Strategies on Students’ Learning and Mental Health

“…109 , 110 This decrease may have occurred because the final module gave students tools to help them manage their worry, and intolerance of uncertainty plays a key role in the emergence and persistence of worry. 111 Intolerance of uncertainty is also one of the most important factors for proneness to anxiety, 112 and our results suggest that the online intervention slightly reduced the intensity of anxiety symptoms. This result is consistent with the results of our pilot study, 108 as well as other online interventions conducted during the pandemic based on mindfulness 92 or cognitive behavioral therapy.…”

Who do we trust? Differences in types of trust and beliefs in conspiracy theories between vaccinated and unvaccinated Europeans across 17 European countries

“…When examining all these types of trust, belief in conspiracy theories, as well as common demographic covariates as simultaneous predictors for receiving the vaccine, our findings mirror claims which posit that dissemination of rational and factual information, rather than rumors, misinformation and conspiracy theories, as key factors for trust establishment (Zhou et al., 2019). Therefore, our results can be informative in the direction of helping policy‐makers provide factual medical information to people, ensuring their positive social response in contexts of uncertainty, where trust in institutions, as well as in fellow citizens is of utmost importance (Gvozden et al., 2021).…”

Navigating Identity Uncertainty: Identity Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…It is also important to note the politicized nature of the pandemic, which may contribute to the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and identity distress related to values and group loyalties. For example, individuals’ trust in government has been found to be significantly associated with compliance with COVID-19 regulations (Gvozden et al, 2021) and fear of COVID-19 and COVID-19 consequences (Mevorach et al, 2021). In other words, one’s values and group loyalties in terms of political affiliations may play a role in COVID-19 anxiety or vice versa.…”