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) × 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.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The reported research was funded by a fellowship from the Fonds Québécois de Recherche sur la Société et la Culture and from the Psychosocial Oncology Research Training program to Natalie O. Rosen, as well as a New Opportunities Fund from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and a grant by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada to Bärbel Knäuper. We thank Gabrielle Pagé and Warren Lewin for help with data collection and Mahtab Firuz for help with data entry.

Notes

¹A more detailed explanation of the rationale behind the IU manipulation can be found in Rosen et al. (2007); refer to Salancik and Conway (1975) for a general overview of the manipulation.

²High IU feedback (based on the definition of IU by Freeston et al., 1994): “You do not tolerate uncertainty well. You find uncertainty stressful and upsetting and avoid uncertain events at all costs. You feel that being uncertain is unfair and can lead to the inability to take action.”