The DOI matches its Crossref record; 38 of the 38 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
A Little Uncertainty Goes a Long Way: State and Trait Differences in Uncertainty Interact to Increase Information Seeking but Also Increase Worry
Abstract
This study examines the effect of an interaction between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and situational uncertainty (SU) on worry due to uncertainty and on information seeking. Health providers may benefit from knowing when communicating uncertain information is beneficial. The study was a 2 (IU condition: high vs. low) x 2 (SU condition: high vs. low) experimental design resulting in four conditions to which university students (N = 153) were randomly assigned. IU was manipulated through a linguistic manipulation of responses to an IU questionnaire coupled with written false feedback. SU was manipulated by modifying the information participants read about a fictitious infection. Individuals in the high IU and high SU condition sought the most information and worried most due to uncertainty compared to people in the low IU and low SU condition, who sought the least information and worried least. Findings suggest that high IU may increase positive health behaviors such as screening intentions when individuals are faced with an uncertain health threat, but that it also increases worries due to that uncertainty. Providing opportunities for discussing one's emotional response to uncertainty and providing instrumental support for managing uncertainty (e.g., booking the follow-up appointment) is essential when communicating uncertain information.
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“Data suggest that intolerance of uncertainty is a causal risk factor for high levels of worry and GAD and that it plays a key role in the etiology of GAD [39-43].”
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Cao, Y., Kwan, G. S. Y., Tse, Z. C. K., Chow, K. K. S., Kwan, D. K. S., Lam, W. W. Y., & Shum, D. (2024) · Journal of Gerontological Social Work · doi:10.1080/01634372.2024.2423678 · Cited by 5
“The prospective component of IU was assessed using a single item (i.e., “Do you worry about the future?”) and rated on a 4-point Likert scale from 0 ( never ) to 3 ( always ) (Rosen & Knäuper, 2009).”
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“Provision of support in responding to and managing this uncertainty is essential [65].”
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“Consistent with this, Rosen and Knäuper (2009) demonstrated that individuals placed in an uncertain situation regarding a fictitious sexually transmitted infection (STI) were more likely to seek additional information regarding the fictitious STI than individuals who were placed in a more…”
MethodBroos, H. C., Stamatis, C. A., Goodman, Z. T., Llabre, M. M., Zvolensky, M. J., & Timpano, K. R. (2022) · Anxiety Stress & Coping · doi:10.1080/10615806.2022.2045013 · Cited by 4
“Rosen and Knäuper (2009) examined the moderating role of situational uncertainty on intolerance of uncertainty by manipulating the amount of information available on a fictional infection for which the participants may have tested positive.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialBroos, H. C., Dev, A. S., Llabre, M. M., Saab, P. G., & Timpano, K. R. (2024) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2024.02.010 · Cited by 8
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“High dispositional IU is associated with more intense actions toward seeking information (Rosen et al., 2007; Rosen & Knäuper, 2009), excessive caution, and planning for worst-case scenarios (Beesdo-Baum et al., 2012).”
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“Rosen and Knauper (2009) found that among untested women, uncertainty about one's HPV status led to more information seeking.”
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“For people high in IU, feeling uncertain may lead to information seeking behaviour such as compulsive checking of light switches or locks or seeking health related tests and screenings (Fourtounas & Thomas, 2016; Rosen & Knäuper, 2009).”
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“Situational uncertainty occurs “when a particular event cannot be adequately structured or categorized because it is marked by unpredictability, ambiguity, and a lack of information” [22].”
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“Individuals with low uncertainty tolerance often engage in excessive information-seeking as a coping strategy (Rosen & Knäuper, 2009).”
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“Research implies, when exposed under uncertainties, information acquisition might trigger psychological distress and negative affections (Rosen & Knäuper, 2009).”
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“In addition, to the best of our knowledge, little attention has been paid to the role of individual differences in processing and evaluation of conflicting information (Rosen and Kna¨uper, 2009).”
Influential(2016) · Studies in information · doi:10.1108/s2055-53772016004 · Cited by 2
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“…to different information seeking and avoidance behaviors in the face of threats and uncertainty (Johnson & Knobloch-Westerwick, 2017; J. Kim et al., 2014; Rosen & Knäuper, 2009), we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 1 : Lower cognitive avoidance predicts higher interest in climate change-related books.”
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“…2024), it is seen that the studies that are associated with online information-seeking behavior only cover consumers seek - ing health-related information (Coglianese et al., 2020 ; Rosen & Knäuper, 2009 ; Xiong et al., 2023), whereas it is not associated with online product purchase inten - tion.”
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“…individual’s affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses to uncertainty (Carleton, 2016; Dugas et al., 2004), tend to react negatively to uncertainty and employ various coping behaviors to reduce uncertainty and resultant distress (Bredemeier & Berenbaum, 2008; Rosen & Knäuper, 2009).”
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“Similarly, experimental manipulation of situational uncertainty (Ladouceur, Gosselin, & Dugas, 2000) and increased intolerance of uncertainty self-talk (Rosen and Knäuper, 2009) resulted in greater self-reported worry, suggesting a causal relationship.”
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“Even though information seeking behavior is one of the possible responses to uncertainty (Rosen et al., 2007; Rosen and Knäuper, 2009), it may also result in an increased level of distress (Reich et al.”
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“Some people are very good at handling uncertainty, while others struggle with it and strive to avoid it (Dugas et al., 1998; Freeston et al., 1994; Rosen & Knauper, 2009).”
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“Safety behaviors, such as excessive information seeking (Rosen & Knäuper, 2009 ), procrastination (Stöber & Joorman, 2001 ), and reassurance seeking and situational avoidance (Beesdo-Baum and Knappe, 2012 ), are often used by individuals with GAD to lessen perceptions and feelings of uncertainty…”
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Metadata
- Authors
- Rosen, N. O., & Knäuper, B.
- Affiliations
- McGill University (CA)
- McGill University
- Corresponding author
- Rosen, Natalie O.
- ORCID
- Rosen, Natalie O.
- Venue
- Health Communication
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2009-05-04
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 228-238
- ISSN
- 1041-0236 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7027
- OpenAlex
- W2059131762
- Cited by
- 177
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 12.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Health Communication (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Risk Perception and Management
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- intolerance of uncertainty, situational uncertainty, information seeking, worry, uncertainty communication, health information, health behavior
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Motivation, Health Behavior, Intention, Uncertainty, Consumer Health Information
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