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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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Looking for Information: A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs, and Behavior
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“…people high in intolerance of uncertainty (IU) react more negatively to uncertain or ambiguous situations (Dugas, Gosselin, & Ladouceur, 2001), and one study found that people high in IU were more likely to seek information about their health in the face of uncertainty (Rosen & Knäuper, 2009).”
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“However, experimental research demonstrating that IU reliably contributes to worry increases our confidence in the possibility of a causal relationship (Buhr & Dugas, 2009; Ladouceur et al., 1997, 2000; Rosen & Knäuper, 2009).”
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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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