CORR Insights®: Does Intolerance of Uncertainty Affect the Magnitude of Limitations or Pain Intensity?

摘要

Uncertainty is a normal part of the human existence, yet for some, it can be aversive and threatening. Intolerance of uncertainty refers to challenges managing the experience of “not knowing”, and is associated with a range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses aimed at resolving the aversive experience [5]. Older theories considered intolerance of uncertainty to be a symptom, but recently researchers have proposed that intolerance of uncertainty is a core construct associated with the development and maintenance of many psychological difficulties [6, 8]. This contention is based on mounting evidence [2, 4, 14] showing that intolerance of uncertainty is a common factor across a variety of psychological conditions including anxiety disorders (generalized, social, obsessive compulsive, health anxiety), depression, eating disorders, and psychosis.