Intolerance of uncertainty, causal uncertainty, causal importance, self-concept clarity and their relations to generalized anxiety disorder

Abstract

Although numerous studies have provided support for the notion that intolerance of uncertainty plays a key role in pathological worry (the hallmark feature of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)), other uncertainty-related constructs may also have relevance for the understanding of individuals who engage in pathological worry. Three constructs from the social cognition literature, causal uncertainty, causal importance, and self-concept clarity, were examined in the present study to assess the degree to which these explain unique variance in GAD, over and above intolerance of uncertainty. N = 235 participants completed self-report measures of trait worry, GAD symptoms, and uncertainty-relevant constructs. A subgroup was subsequently classified as low in GAD symptoms (n = 69) or high in GAD symptoms (n = 54) based on validated cut scores on measures of trait worry and GAD symptoms. In logistic regressions, only elevated intolerance of uncertainty and lower self-concept clarity emerged as unique correlates of high (vs. low) GAD symptoms. The possible role of self-concept uncertainty in GAD and the utility of integrating social cognition theories and constructs into clinical research on intolerance of uncertainty are discussed.

Keywords:

• Intolerance of uncertainty
• causal uncertainty
• causal importance
• self-concept clarity
• generalized anxiety disorder

Notes

1. After participants were grouped, a Breusch-Pagan test of heteroskedasticity showed that the predictor variables retained a normal distribution (F(4,119) = 0.27, p = .90).

2. To examine whether our use of extreme groups on the PSWQ affected the integrity of the analyses, we repeated the logistic regressions using only the 5.7 cut score on the GAD-Q-IV to categorize participants, thereby conserving the entire sample. The pattern of findings was the same, with IU emerging as the strongest unique correlate of the presence of High GAD vs. Low GAD.