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Cited by 62Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentDecision-Making and Behavioral Economics

Intolerance of uncertainty heightens negative emotional states and dampens positive emotional states

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Morriss, Jayne, Goh, Kimberly, Hirsch, Colette R., Dodd, Helen F.·2023·Frontiers in Psychiatry
DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1147970PMC PMC10073686
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Abstract

Individuals high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) tend to view uncertainty as unbearable and stressful. Notably, IU is transdiagnostic, and high levels of IU are observed across many different emotional disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression). Research has primarily focused on how IU evokes and modulates emotional states such as fear and anxiety. However, recent research suggests that IU may have relevance for a broader range of emotional states. Here, an online survey was conducted to examine whether IU evokes and modulates a range of negative (e.g., fear/anxiety, sadness/upset, anger/frustration, disgust) and positive (e.g., happiness/joy, excitement/enthusiasm, surprise/interest) emotional states. Findings within a community sample (n = 231) revealed that individuals with higher levels of IU report: (1) that uncertainty in general and uncertainty under ambiguity are more likely to evoke negative emotional states and less likely to evoke positive emotional states, (2) that uncertainty under risk is less likely to evoke positive emotional states, and (3) that uncertainty heightens existing negative emotional states and dampens existing positive emotional states. Importantly, these IU-related findings remained when controlling for current experiences of general distress, anxious arousal, and anhedonic depression. Taken together, these findings suggest that IU is involved in evoking and modulating a wide array of emotional phenomena, which likely has relevance for transdiagnostic models and treatment plans for emotional disorders.

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Sorted by citations

Authors
Morriss, J., Goh, K., Hirsch, C. R., & Dodd, H. F.
Affiliations
  • University of Southampton (GB)
  • University of Reading (GB)
  • King's College London (GB)
  • University of Exeter (GB)
Corresponding author
Morriss, Jayne
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2023-03-22
Volume
14
Pages
1147970-1147970
ISSN
1664-0640 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1147970
PMC
PMC10073686
OpenAlex
W4353087039
Cited by
62
References
18
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 1
FWCI
13.75
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • CentAUR (University of Reading) (acceptedVersion)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • King's College London
  • Fundação Bial
  • Economic and Social Research Council (ES/R01145/1, ES/R011451/1, R01145)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
Keywords
intolerance of uncertainty, emotional state, negative emotions, positive emotions, ambiguity, risk, fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, disgust, happiness, transdiagnostic model, emotional disorders, anhedonic depression, anxious arousal

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