Intolerance of uncertainty, social support, and loneliness in relation to anxiety and depressive symptoms among women diagnosed with ovarian cancer

Abstract

Objective Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a trait variable that captures an individual's lack of tolerance for unknown outcomes and events. Positive correlations between IU and mental health symptoms have been observed in various populations, while social variables (social support and decreased loneliness) seem to serve as protective factors against psychological distress among individuals with cancer. The present study examined the moderation effect of social support and loneliness in the relationship between IU and mental health symptoms among women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Methods This study was a cross‐sectional design involving 131 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer recruited through social media and other online sources. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed their IU (prospective and inhibitory), anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, social support, and loneliness. Moderated regression analyses were applied to test the hypothesis that low social support and high loneliness would exacerbate the relationship between IU and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results The hypothesized moderation effects (social support × IU, loneliness × IU) were not supported in the anxiety and depressive symptoms models. Post hoc linear regression analyses indicated that IU and loneliness were predictive of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Loneliness was the strongest predictor in both the anxiety and depressive symptoms models, followed by IU. Conclusions The findings indicate that loneliness and IU—particularly inhibitory IU—are important considerations in understanding mental health symptoms among women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Addressing both loneliness and IU may be an important avenue in clinical settings.

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“…Our results are in line with previous studies about these themes (Sadler and Weiss, 1975;Simard et al, 2013). The relevance of loneliness as a contributor to mental health is confirmed by previous studies showing its predictive role in the development and maintenance of depressive and anxiety symptoms (Wang et al, 2018;Hill and Hamm, 2019). Moreover, loneliness has been found to have impact on other chronic and various diseases: for example, cognitive decline (Shankar et al, 2013), cardiovascular diseases (Herlitz et al, 1998;Sorkin et al, 2002;Hawkley et al, 2010), cancer (Antoni et al, 2006), and inflammatory diseases (Luanaigh and Lawlor, 2008).…”

Recommendations for triage, prioritization and treatment of breast cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The significant psychological impact on oncological patients is compounded by multiple factors during the pandemic -knowledge that the individual is at higher risk of serious complication if infected by Covid-19, loneliness and isolation as a result of social distancing, and the underlying constant fear of the cancer. Loneliness is associated with higher risk of mortality in cancer patients 34,35 . Social distancing is known to have negative health consequences and increase risk for premature mortality during normal times 36 , but it also enhances patients' feelings of uncertainty associated with their prognosis.…”

COVID-19-Related Intolerance of Uncertainty and Mental Health among Back-To-School Students in Wuhan: The Moderation Effect of Social Support

“…IU was regarded as an important factor to influence public mental health [17,18]. Numerous researches showed that generalized anxiety, depression, or other mental health problems were significantly associated with IU among a broad range of samples [16], such as mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder [19], public safety personnel [20], women diagnosed with ovarian cancer [21], pregnant women [22], and men on active surveillance for prostate cancer [23]. Furthermore, a high level of IU scores implicated serious psychological problems [16].…”