The role of intolerance of uncertainty in classical threat conditioning: Recent developments and directions for future research

Morriss, Jayne; Zuj, Daniel V.; Mertens, Gaëtan

doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.05.011

Cited by 58 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 118 publications

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“…Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) refers to a disposition to hold negative beliefs about uncertainty and its consequences and the proclivity to react negatively (emotionally, cognitively, and behaviorally) when faced with uncertainty (Buhr & Dugas, 2009 ; Carleton, 2016 ; Morriss et al, 2021 ; Tanovic et al, 2018 ). IU has been studied as a trait-like, dimensional characteristic and as a transdiagnostic process underpinning psychological disorders (McEvoy et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Intolerance Of Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlates of Dampening and Savoring in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

et al. 2022

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Chronic worry and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms are associated with infrequent savoring, and high dampening, of positive emotions. The goal of the present study was to investigate the indirect role of GAD-relevant processes, including intolerance of uncertainty (IU), fear of negative emotional contrasts, and negative beliefs about positive emotion and its regulation, in the relationship between GAD symptom severity and the tendency to engage in dampening and not savor positive emotions. Community participants ( N = 233) completed questionnaires online. In separate models, IU, fear of negative emotional contrasts, and negative beliefs about positive emotion and its regulation fully mediated the relationships between GAD symptom severity and greater dampening and lower savoring. However, controlling for depression, only IU remained a significant mediator. A post hoc latent analysis of the mediators provided support for an underlying construct that may reflect intolerance of uncomfortable states. Intolerance of uncomfortable states was found to significantly mediate the relationship between GAD symptoms and greater dampening and lower savoring. Difficulty withstanding uncertainty may be particularly relevant in understanding why people with elevated GAD symptoms engage in efforts to avoid experiencing positive emotions. Further, the findings suggest that there may be a common factor underlying a variety of GAD-associated constructs reflecting a broad intolerance of uncomfortable inner states. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41811-022-00145-x.

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Section: Intolerance Of Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlates of Dampening and Savoring in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

et al. 2022

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“…Previous studies have investigated that IU has robust associations with a range of disorder symptoms, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and agoraphobia (26,27,31). People with high levels of intolerance of uncertainty tend to experience greater physiological distress and avoidance of uncertainty (23,(32)(33)(34)(35)(36).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prevalence of Fear of Childbirth and Its Association With Intolerance of Uncertainty and Coping Styles Among Pregnant Chinese Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2022

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BackgroundFear of childbirth (FOC) is one of the most common psychological symptoms among pregnant women and significantly relates to cesarean section, anxiety, and depression. However, it is not clear the prevalence and risk factors of FOC among Chinese pregnant women since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.AimsThe objective of this study was to examine the associations between coping styles, intolerance of uncertainty, and FOC.MethodFrom December 2021 to April 2022, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in two hospitals in China through convenient sampling. The cross-sectional survey was conducted among 969 pregnant women, which included the Childbirth Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ), Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12 (IUS-12), and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ).ResultsThe total prevalence of FOC was 67.8%. The percentages of women with mild (a score of 28–39), moderate (40–51), and severe FOC (52–64) were 43.6, 20.2, and 4.0%, respectively. The regression results indicated that primiparas, unplanned pregnancy, few spousal support, intolerance of uncertainty, and negative coping styles were significant risk factors of FOC. Women who adopt positive coping strategies experienced a lower level of childbirth fear.ConclusionThese findings suggest that cultivating positive coping styles and obtaining sufficient childbirth information may be helpful for mothers' mental health. Regular screening assessment of perinatal psychological symptoms, such as the high level of intolerance of uncertainty and negative coping styles, should be adopted to reduce the risk of fear of childbirth.

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“…Promisingly, a growing body of research has started to assess the role of IU in modulating classical fear conditioning mechanisms during different classical fear conditioning procedures (for review see Lonsdorf & Merz, 2017;Morriss, Wake et al, 2021;Sjouwerman et al, 2020). Currently, the findings have been mixed with regards to how IU influences initial learning of fear and safety associations during fear acquisition training (for review see Morriss, Zuj et al, 2021). However, there is clearer evidence demonstrating how high levels of IU disrupt the learning of safe associations during extinction training (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Firstly, IU-related effects during classical fear conditioning procedures have primarily been examined using self-reported ratings of expectancy and skin conductance response (Morriss, Zuj, et al, 2021). However, only a few studies have examined IU-related effects using self-reported ratings of fear and other psychophysiological measures such as fear potentiation of the startle reflex Sjouwerman et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%