Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2013 Jun;69(6):630-45.
doi: 10.1002/jclp.21965. Epub 2013 Feb 4.

Intolerance of uncertainty: a common factor in the treatment of emotional disorders

James F Boswell  1 , Johanna Thompson-Hollands, Todd J Farchione, David H Barlow
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Intolerance of uncertainty: a common factor in the treatment of emotional disorders

James F Boswell et al. J Clin Psychol. 2013 Jun.

Abstract

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a characteristic predominantly associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD); however, emerging evidence indicates that IU may be a shared element of emotional disorders.

Aims: This study aimed to examine IU across diagnostic categories, change in IU during transdiagnostic treatment, and the relationship between change in IU and treatment outcome.

Method: Patients diagnosed with heterogeneous anxiety and depressive disorders received up to 18 weeks of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention. Patient self-reported IU and self-report and clinician-rated symptom/functioning measures were administered at pretreatment and posttreatment.

Results: When controlling for negative affectivity, IU correlated with measures of depressive symptoms and worry severity at pretreatment. Patients with GAD and panic disorder exhibited the highest pretreatment IU scores, yet IU scores did not differ significantly based on the presence or absence of a specific diagnosis. A significant decrease in IU was observed, and change in IU was related to reduced anxiety and depressive symptom levels at posttreatment across diagnostic categories.

Discussion: Change in IU can be observed across problem areas in transdiagnostic treatment and such change is correlated with treatment outcome.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Abramowitz JS, Deacon BJ. Psychometric properties and construct validity of the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory—Revised: Replication and extension with a clinical sample. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2006:20, 1016–1035. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.03.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th, Text Revision. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press; 2000.
    1. Baer L. Getting control: Overcoming your obsessions and compulsions. Boston, MA: Little, Brown; 1991.
    1. Barlow DH. Anxiety and its disorders The nature and treatment of anxiety and panic. 2nd. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2002.
    1. Barlow DH, Allen LB, Choate ML. Toward a unified treatment for emotional disorders. Behavior Therapy. 2004;35:205–230. - PubMed

Publication types