Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/2440/138657
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Type: | Journal article |
Title: | The effect of intolerance of uncertainty on anxiety and depression, and their symptom networks, during the COVID-19 pandemic |
Author: | Andrews, J.L. Li, M. Minihan, S. Songco, A. Fox, E. Ladouceur, C.D. Mewton, L. Moulds, M. Pfeifer, J.H. Van Harmelen, A.-L. Schweizer, S. |
Citation: | BMC Psychiatry, 2023; 23(1):1-12 |
Publisher: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
Issue Date: | 2023 |
ISSN: | 1471-244X 1471-244X |
Statement of Responsibility: | Jack L. Andrews, Meiwei Li, Savannah Minihan, Annabel Songco, Elaine Fox, Cecile D. Ladouceur, Louise Mewton, Michelle Moulds, Jennifer H. Pfeifer, Anne, Laura Van Harmelen, and Susanne Schweizer |
Abstract: | Individuals vary in their ability to tolerate uncertainty. High intolerance of uncertainty (the tendency to react nega‑ tively to uncertain situations) is a known risk factor for mental health problems. In the current study we examined the degree to which intolerance of uncertainty predicted depression and anxiety symptoms and their interrelations across the frst year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined these associations across three time points (May 2020 – April 2021) in an international sample of adults (N=2087, Mean age=41.13) from three countries (UK, USA, Australia) with varying degrees of COVID-19 risk. We found that individuals with high and moderate levels of intolerance of uncertainty reported reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms over time. However, symptom levels remained signifcantly elevated compared to individuals with low intolerance of uncertainty. Individuals with low intolerance of uncertainty had low and stable levels of depression and anxiety across the course of the study. Network analyses further revealed that the relationships between depression and anxiety symptoms became stronger over time among individuals with high intolerance of uncertainty and identified that feeling afraid showed the strongest association with intolerance of uncertainty. Our findings are consistent with previous work identifying intolerance of uncertainty as an important risk factor for mental health problems, especially in times marked by actual health, economic and social uncertainty. The results highlight the need to explore ways to foster resilience among individuals who struggle to tolerate uncertainty, as ongoing and future geopolitical, climate and health threats will likely lead to continued exposure to significant uncertainty. |
Keywords: | Anxiety COVID-19 Depression Intolerance of Uncertainty Network analysis |
Rights: | © The Author(s) 2023. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativeco mmons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. |
DOI: | 10.1186/s12888-023-04734-8 |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04734-8 |
Appears in Collections: | Psychology publications |
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File | Description | Size | Format | |
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hdl_138657.pdf | Published version | 1.56 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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