https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7238-0493
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Abstract
Background
The current moment is characterised by deep-rooted uncertainties, such as climate change and COVID-19. Uncertainty has been reported to be associated with negative mental health outcomes, such as stress and anxiety. However, no comprehensive review on the association between uncertainty and mental health exists.
Aim
The aim of the current scoping review was to systematically explore and describe the literature on the link between uncertainty and mental health.
Methods
A scoping review was undertaken following guidelines by Arksey and O’Malley (2005).
Results
One hundred and one papers addressing the association between uncertainty and mental health were identified. Most were cross-sectional studies (67%) conducted in the fields of medicine or nursing (59%), in high-income countries, among adult populations (74%), and in medical settings. Substantial heterogeneity was identified in the measurements of uncertainty and mental health. Most studies (79%) reported a positive association between uncertainty and mental health problems.
Conclusions
Research is needed in more diverse contexts and populations. More robust designs are required to provide insight into the directionality and strength of the association between uncertainty and mental health. Few studies reported how individuals coped with uncertainty. Future studies should address the identified gaps and investigate interventions to address uncertainty and its determinants.
Keywords:
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank UK Research and Innovation GCRF for their financial support. Additionally, we gratefully acknowledge the support of other members of the Research for Health in Conflict in the MENA region (R4HC-MENA) team, in particular Mathias Regent for his support in the preliminary screening of the literature, Ranim Amra and Rawan Kafri for their support in the data extraction, and Dr. Weeam Hammoudeh for her contribution in discussing the conceptualisation of the review. Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Matthew Prina for discussing with us the methodological framework for the current review.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 Due to the ambiguity inherent in distinguishing between related and overlapping constructs, the decision was made to limit included papers only to those that specifically used the term “uncertainty”.
2 We defined a study as focusing on a specific age group based on the mean age group of the entire sample or on the largest proportion of a sample falling in a certain age group.
3 We report ethnic categories as they were reported in the original studies while we are aware of the critical implications of this terminology.
4 Our decision to separate the two reviews was justified by the already complex nature of the quantitative dataset and by the desire to give the appropriate weight to both reviews.