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Abstract
Waiting for any news can be a difficult experience, and waiting for health-related news presents additional challenges due to the potentially life-changing implications of diagnostic, prognostic or risk information. This paper introduces a model of uncertainty navigation as a novel theoretical framework of the strategies people use to mitigate the anxiety of waiting for health news. The model includes three overarching strategies for uncertainty navigation: consequence mitigation, reappraisal and emotion regulation. It also incorporates several factors that moderate the use of these strategies. Supportive empirical evidence for the use and effectiveness of these strategies is presented, and potential consequences, both good and bad, of using these strategies are described. Finally, some of the many future research directions that arise from this novel theoretical framework are discussed.
Notes
1. A ‘waiting period’ in the context of this paper refers to any period of time during which people lack information about their health but anticipate receiving this information in the foreseeable future.
2. In this paper, the terms ‘information’, ‘feedback’ and ‘news’ interchangeably refer to the target of people's uncertainty during a waiting period. Although uncertainty about these types of health news carries differing implications and may proceed along different timelines, they all share in common the painful experience of waiting.