Intolerance of Uncertainty, Job Satisfaction and Work Performance in Turkish Healthcare Professionals: Mediating Role of Psychological Capital.

Objective: Psychological capital refers to internal resources including self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience to overcome adverse life events. The current study sought to examine the mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and job satisfaction and work performance in healthcare professionals. Methods: Participants were 302 healthcare professionals [48% females; M(SD) age = 34.0 (7.5)] and completed measures of intolerance of uncertainty, psychological capital, work performance, and job satisfaction. Results: The findings indicated that intolerance of uncertainty was negatively correlated with psychological capital, work performance, and job satisfaction, whereas psychological capital was positively correlated with job satisfaction and work performance. More importantly, the findings revealed that these relationships were mediated by psychological capital. Conclusion: The results provide several contributions that help to understand the role of psychological capital in the relationship between intolerance to uncertainty and job satisfaction and work performance.

Intolerance of uncertainty and psychological flexibility as predictors of mental health from adolescence to old age.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it significant social, economic and health uncertainties. These were proposed to impact young people more compared to adults, leading adolescents to report more mental health problems during the pandemic. The current study examined whether differences in cognitive risk (tolerance of uncertainty) and protective (psychological flexibility) factors accounted for age-related differences in depression and anxiety. METHODS: These associations were investigated in the COVID-19 Risks Across the Lifespan (CORAL) cohort (N = 2280, 11-89 years). RESULTS: The results showed that adolescents experienced greater intolerance of uncertainty and lower psychological flexibility compared to adults and older adults. Tolerance of uncertainty did not account for age-related differences in depression or anxiety. However, psychological flexibility conferred more protective advantage for anxiety in adults compared to adolescents. CONCLUSION: The observed age-related differences in risk and protective factors advance our understanding of developmental vulnerabilities to depression and anxiety. Implications for mental health interventions in the context of future pandemics are discussed.

Serial Mediation Models of Future Anxiety and Italian Young Adults Psychological Distress: The Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Non-Pathological Worry.

Previous research has already examined the relationship between Future Anxiety, a construct recently introduced in Italy, and mental health in young adults, although possible mediating variables in this relationship have so far never been investigated. The present study attempts to fill this gap by exploring the incidence of Future Anxiety on psychological distress (i.e., Stress, Anxiety and Depression) in a group of 302 young Italian adults (18-30 years; M = 21.9; SD = 2.6; 49.0% males; 51.0% females), presenting and evaluating the simultaneous mediating effect of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Non-Pathological Worry. Findings highlighted how Future Anxiety had a positive and significant direct effect on Stress and Depression, but not on Anxiety. In the three serial mediation models proposed, Intolerance of Uncertainty and Non-Pathological Worry mediated the relationship between Future Anxiety and mental health outcomes. The results also confirmed the hypothesized serial mediation effect by highlighting how young adults with greater Future Anxiety experienced more Intolerance of Uncertainty, which positively affected Non-Pathological Worry levels and, in turn, exacerbated psychological distress. Finally, results indicated that female participants experienced more Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in relation to Future Anxiety compared to males. Starting from the review of main references on this subject, the results discussed provide new insights for understanding youth psychological distress. Finally, practical implications for the design of supportive interventions for this study's target group are proposed.

Acute Stress Symptoms, Intolerance of Uncertainty and Coping Strategies in Reaction to the October 7 War.

BACKGROUND: On 7 October 2023, hundreds of armed Hamas fighters breached the security border fence and entered Israel from the Gaza Strip. More than 1400 Israeli citizens were murdered, and 239 individuals were kidnapped. Many Israeli citizens experienced these occurrences as psychologically traumatic events that caused stress and uncertainty. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to war (in more distant circles), intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and disengaged coping on acute stress symptoms (ASS). First, we examined whether exposure to war and IU were directly associated with ASS. Second, we tested the mediating role of disengaged coping in the relationship among war exposure, IU and ASS. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 393 Israeli citizens. Participants answered questionnaires on exposure to war, IU, coping strategies and ASS. RESULTS: The study results indicate that higher exposure and higher levels of IU were directly associated with more intensive ASS, and this association was partially mediated by higher use of disengaged coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals during wartime are at risk of experiencing high levels of ASS and developing ASD. However, degree of exposure to war alone was not associated with ASS, but it was related to personal resources and coping strategies.

Intolerance of uncertainty and negative emotions among high school art students during COVID-19 pandemic: a moderated mediation analysis.

Objectives: A number of high school art students experience negative emotions during their preparation for the art college entrance examination, characterized by worries and fear of uncertainty. Therefore, how individual difference factors, such as intolerance of uncertainty, affect the negative emotions of students needs to be examined. Inspired by the integrative model of uncertainty tolerance, the current study seeks to explain the association between intolerance of uncertainty and negative emotions by testing the potential mediating role of psychological capital and the moderating role of family functioning. Patients and methods: A total of 919 Chinese high school art students (Mage = 18.50 years, range = 16-22) participated from November 2022 to December 2022. Convenience sampling strategies were used. The participants were asked to complete the measures of intolerance of uncertainty scale, psychological capital questionnaire, depression anxiety stress scale, and family adaptability and cohesion evaluation scale. The data were analyzed using Pearson's r correlations and moderated mediation analysis. Results: Results showed that intolerance of uncertainty was positively associated with negative emotions but negatively associated with psychological capital, which in turn, was negatively associated with negative emotions. Psychological capital mediated the indirect link of intolerance of uncertainty with negative emotions. Family functioning buffered the impact of psychological capital on negative emotions. Conclusion: This study can enhance our understanding of the intolerance of uncertainty on negative emotions and provide insights on interventions for high school art students' negative emotions for educators. The interventions targeting intolerance of uncertainty, psychological capital and family functioning may be beneficial in reducing the effect of intolerance of uncertainty on negative emotions faced by high school art students.

A moderated chain mediation model examining the relation between smartphone addiction and intolerance of uncertainty among master's and PhD students.

The theories of relational regulation and compensatory Internet use suggest that intolerance of uncertainty influences smartphone addiction (SPA), which in turn is influenced by other aspects. This study used previous results to examine how intolerance of uncertainty affects SPA in PhD and master's degree programs. A convenience sample comprising 1727 master's and PhD students (99.9 %; 50.7 % female; Mage = 27.71; SD = 3.80; range = 21-43) was recruited. Using established questionnaires, we measured SPA, anxiety, positive coping style, perceived social support, and intolerance of uncertainty. The results demonstrated that intolerance of uncertainty positively affects SPA in terms of predictive power. Furthermore, anxiety and positive coping style mediate that link in a cascade fashion. A greater SPA indicates that the individual is less likely to use a positive coping style, has a higher anxiety level, and has a lower tolerance for uncertainty. While thinking about how intolerance of uncertainty affects anxiety and positive coping style, perceived social support mediates the relationship. Intolerance of uncertainty has less impact on anxiety and positive coping style when perceived social support is high. These results indicate the possibility of examining SPA prevention and intervention from several angles. Therefore, emotional regulation, which modifies anxiety and the tendency to use a positive coping style, may reduce the impact of intolerance of uncertainty on SPA. Another successful strategy for reducing smartphone addiction is to provide social support from loved ones and the community at large.

The impact of online health information source preference on intolerance to uncertainty and cyberchondria in a youthful generation.

Background: The increasing utilization of the Internet to access health-related information is believed to heighten anxiety and trigger cyberchondria due to the presence of conflicting and sometimes overly detailed information. Aim: To investigate the levels of cyberchondria and intolerance of uncertainty among university students and their relationship with different online health information sources. Methods: Between June and July 2022, 420 university students (mean age = 21.5 ± 2 years, 54% female) participated in this cross-sectional study. The socio-demographic form, Uncertainty Intolerance Scale (IUS), and Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS) were used in data collection. Pearson correlation test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with cyberchondria. Results: Forums and private hospital/clinic websites were the most frequently utilized online health information sources, while governmental websites were the least. The mean scores for CSS and IUS were 81.5 and 41.0, respectively. There was no significant gender-based difference in CSS and IUS scores. Students who used newspapers/magazines and social media for health information had significantly higher scores on both scales. Cyberchondria had a negative association with age [odds ratio (OR) = 0.90], a positive significant relationship with newspaper/magazine website use (OR = 7.24), and IUS score (OR = 1.09). There was a positive and moderate correlation between CSS and IUS scores (r = 0.39, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our results underline the susceptibility to cyberchondria and intolerance of uncertainty among young adults who used less reliable online health information sources and highlight promoting online health literacy to reduce vulnerabilities and the need for further research on socio-demographic determinants in both mental problems.

Uncertain world: How children's curiosity and intolerance of uncertainty relate to their behaviour and emotion under uncertainty.

Curiosity and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) are both thought to drive information seeking but may have different affective profiles; curiosity is often associated with positive affective responses to uncertainty and improved learning outcomes, whereas IU is associated with negative affective responses and anxiety. Curiosity and IU have not previously been examined together in children but may both play an important role in understanding how children respond to uncertainty. Our research aimed to examine how individual differences in parent-reported curiosity and IU were associated with behavioural and emotional responses to uncertainty. Children aged 8 to 12 (n = 133) completed a game in which they were presented with an array of buttons on the screen that, when clicked, played neutral or aversive sounds. Children pressed buttons (information seeking) and rated their emotions and worry under conditions of high and low uncertainty. Facial expressions were also monitored for affective responses. Analyses revealed that children sought more information under high uncertainty than low uncertainty trials and that more curious children reported feeling happier. Contrary to expectations, IU and curiosity were not related to the number of buttons children pressed, nor to their self-reported emotion or worry. However, exploratory analyses suggest that children who are high in IU may engage in more information seeking that reflects checking or safety-seeking than those who are low in IU. In addition, our findings suggest that there may be age-related change in the effects of IU on worry, with IU more strongly related to worry in uncertain situations for older children than younger children.

Intolerance of uncertainty affects the behavioral and neural mechanisms of higher generalization.

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is associated with several anxiety disorders. In this study, we employed rewards and losses as unconditioned positive and negative stimuli, respectively, to explore the effects of an individual's IU level on positive and negative generalizations using magnetic resonance imaging technology. Following instrumental learning, 48 participants (24 high IU; 24 low IU) were invited to complete positive and negative generalization tasks; their behavioral responses and neural activities were recorded by functional magnetic resonance imaging. The behavior results demonstrated that participants with high IUs exhibited higher generalizations to both positive and negative cues as compared with participants having low IUs. Neuroimaging results demonstrated that they exhibited higher activation levels in the right anterior insula and the default mode network (i.e. precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus), as well as related reward circuits (i.e. caudate and right putamen). Therefore, higher generalization scores and the related abnormal brain activation may be key markers of IU as a vulnerability factor for anxiety disorders.

The relationship between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety in art students: the chain mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality.

BACKGROUND: The global spread of COVID-19 has brought immense physiological and psychological distress to students, such as test anxiety and poor sleep quality. This study aims to explore the relationship between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety and the mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality between them. METHODS: A study was conducted in China during the late stage of the pandemic. A total of 936 Chinese art students (age M = 18.51, SD = 2.11, 46.6% female) completed the Coronavirus Stress Measure (CSM), the 12-item Intolerance of Uncertainty (IUS-12), the Brief Version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B-PSQI), and the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI). A chain mediation model analysis was conducted to examine the mediating effects of intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality on the association with COVID-19 stress and test anxiety. RESULTS: COVID-19 stress was positively associated with test anxiety (ß = 0.50, p < 0.001). The intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality partially and serially mediated the relationship between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety (ß = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.01 to 0.02). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that art students' intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality partially and serially mediate the relation between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety. The results have significant implications for the intervention and prevention of test anxiety, providing additional evidence for the relationship between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety.

How Is the Fear of War Impacting Italian Young Adults' Mental Health? The Mediating Role of Future Anxiety and Intolerance of Uncertainty.

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict is affecting mental health even in communities that are not directly involved in the war; added to this is the escalating conflict in the Middle East and its dangerous spread, which brings the war back to the center of the contemporary social and economic horizon. The present study aims to explore the psychological impact of war in a sample of 310 Italian young adults (18-30 years; M = 22.0; SD = 2.6) while exploring the relationship between Fear of War and psychological distress and evaluating the mediating effects of Future Anxiety and Intolerance of Uncertainty in this relation. Findings highlighted how Fear of War positively and significantly affects Stress, Anxiety, and Depression, and, at the same time, how it fuels both Future Anxiety and Intolerance of Uncertainty. These constructs, in addition to positively affecting the mental health outcomes considered, mediate the relationship between Fear of War and youth psychological distress with a significant indirect effect observed in all three mediation models performed. Finally, significantly higher levels of psychological distress, Fear of War, and Future Anxiety are reported in women than in men. The findings are discussed with reference to the recent literature on the psychological impact of war and on contemporary youth psychological distress, indicating the importance of educational policies and targeted interventions aimed at supporting this target in coping with multiple contemporary collective stressors.

[Psychometric properties of the Hungarian version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale - Short Version (IUS-12)]. / Az alkoholhasználat és az öndetermináció kapcsolata: a Kezelési Önszabályozási Kérdoív pszichometriai jellemzoi magyar mintán.

INTRODUCTION: Intolerance of uncertainty is the tendency to react negatively to an uncertain situation, regardless of the probability of the occurrence of the event and its consequences. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) can also be conceptualized as a personality trait that is prominent in many anxiety and rumination-related pathologies. A growing body of research highlights its key role in understanding anxiety disorders. METHOD: The aim of present study was to investigate the dimensionality, validity and reliability of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale in a large non-clinical sample (N = 1747). Former was analysed by confirmatory factor analysis, the validity by correlation with the Perceived Stress Scale. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and test-retest analysis. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis failed to confirm the hypothesized two-factor structure (CFI = 0.907; TLI = 0.885; RMSEA = 0.103 [90% CI = 0.096-0.110]; SRMR = 0.071). However, the exploratory factor analysis identified the same two factors as in the original study: "Prospective" and "Inhibitory". The scale showed excellent internal reliability (α = 0.897) and test-retest reliability. There was moderate correlation with the Perceived Stress Scale (r = 0.438). CONCLUSION: Based on the results, the Hungarian version of the BTS-12 is a valid and reliable measurement tool. However, before its use in a Hungarian sample, its psychometric properties need to be confirmed by further studies on a large sample. In the future, the questionnaire will be useful in measuring intolerance of uncertainty and may be useful in identifying susceptibility to anxiety disorders.

The association between intolerance of uncertainty and depressive symptoms during COVID-19 in New York, USA.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a highly contagious respiratory illnesses, has globally impacted mental health. This study aims to investigate the association between intolerance of uncertainty and depressive symptoms during the pandemic in New York, USA, considering COVID-19-related worries as modifiers and mediators. METHOD: 1227 participants from three ongoing cohort studies, originally centered on trauma-exposed children and adolescents, provided data via questionnaires and telephone interviews across three waves. We used multivariable logistic and linear regression models to investigate the intolerance of uncertainty-depressive symptoms relationship, while adjusting for potential confounders and assessing the modification and mediation effects of Covid-19 related worries. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms prevalence was 18 %, 12 %, and 9 % at waves 0, 1, and 2 respectively. Strong positive associations were observed between intolerance of uncertainty above the median and depressive symptoms which remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders. Odds ratios were 2.14 (95 % CI: 1.54-2.99) and 4.50 (95 % CI: 2.67-7.93) for intolerance of uncertainty-depressive symptoms association at wave 0 and 1 respectively, and 3.22 (95 % CI: 1.68-6.63) for intolerance of uncertainty at wave 1 and depressive symptoms at wave 2. There was evidence of partial mediation by worries (12-37 %), but no evidence of a moderating effect. LIMITATION: It includes study's methodology, including self-report measures, remote data collection, and uncontrolled variables like anxiety and COVID-19 perspectives. CONCLUSION: The findings emphasize the importance of evidence-based strategies for tackling intolerance of uncertainty during pandemics, particularly in managing long COVID. Collaborative efforts between policymakers and clinicians are essential in this endeavor.

Insecure attachment and eating disorder symptoms: Intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation as mediators.

OBJECTIVE: Literature on eating disorder (ED) symptoms of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) group is extremely scarce. This study aimed to understand the mechanisms underlying the associations between insecure attachment and ED symptoms and examine whether these mechanisms differed between White and BIPOC groups. METHOD: The study investigated direct and indirect relationship between attachment anxiety/avoidance and ED symptoms via intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and emotion regulation strategies of suppression and reappraisal. Further, we examined whether the proposed mechanisms equally represented White versus BIPOC using Multigroup Structural Equation Model (MG-SEM). A total of 1227 college students (48.50% BIPOC and 51.50% White) completed research questionnaires. RESULTS: Results showed that IU and suppression mediated the relations between insecure attachment and ED symptoms for both White and BIPOC groups. Uniquely, reappraisal mediated the relations between insecure attachment and ED symptoms for the White group, but not for the BIPOC group. DISCUSSION: The implications of the findings for culturally informed practice are discussed, including targeting increasing tolerability of uncertainties and improving emotion regulation to mitigate ED symptoms for those with insecure attachment.

Intolerance of Uncertainty and Anxiety (but not Alexithymia) Mediate the Association Between Autistic Traits and Quality of Life.

Previous research has indicated that autistic individuals report lower quality of life (QoL) than non-autistic people. It is unclear whether it is the autism traits themselves or co-occurring thinking styles or mental health difficulties that most impair QoL. This study tested a hypothesised model to explore how 'intolerance of uncertainty' (IU), alexithymia (difficulty in identifying and describing own emotions), and anxiety play into the association between autistic traits and QoL. Online survey data were analysed from 116 autistic and 51 non-autistic adults who completed six standardised questionnaires measuring autistic traits, alexithymia, IU, anxiety and QoL (physical health, psychological health, social relations, and environment domains). The autistic group reported higher scores for alexithymia, IU and anxiety, and lower scores for QoL across domains, compared to the non-autistic group. Across the entire sample, autistic traits, alexithymia, IU and anxiety were positively correlated with one another, and negatively related to the four domains of QoL. Finally, IU and anxiety partially serially mediated the pathways from autistic traits to physical health and environment domains of QoL, and fully mediated the pathways from autistic traits to psychological health and social relations domains of QoL, across the full sample. The lower QoL experienced by autistic people may be explained in part by the mediating effect of both IU and anxiety (but not alexithymia). This study highlights the need for evidence-based interventions to address both IU and anxiety to improve QoL for autistic people/those with high levels of autistic traits.

Cognitive bias modification for perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty: A randomized controlled trial.

This study investigated the efficacy of combined cognitive bias modification (CBM) on perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty. Fifty-four university students scoring over 70.5 on the Brief Symptom Measure were randomly assigned to experimental and placebo control groups. The CBM intervention was administered online for 4 weeks. Assessments were given at baseline, after the 4-week intervention, and 1 month post-intervention. Results showed a statistically significant decrease in two dimensions of perfectionism, concern over mistakes and parental criticism, and intolerance of uncertainty of those in the experimental group, compared to those in the control group. The findings related to the interpretation of perfectionism revealed a significant interaction effect of time and direction of sentences for the experimental group. Lastly, the experimental group's interpretation bias scores for intolerance of uncertainty showed a statistically significant increase after the intervention compared to those in the control group. The study's findings provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of CBM on perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty.

Intolerance of Uncertainty and Fear of Childbirth: Role of Perceived Preparedness for Childbirth / [La intolerancia a la incertidumbre y el miedo al alumbramiento: el papel que juega la preparación para el parto]

Background: Fear of childbirth (FOC) can lead to diverse adverse outcomes for pregnant women. Personality dispositions are one of the predictors of FOC, and intolerance of uncertainty is one of them. Previous studies were inconclusive, suggesting that intolerance of uncertainty was a predictor of FOC in pregnant women. However, the underlying mechanisms of that relation are still underexamined. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to examine the mediation role of perceived preparedness for childbirth in the association between intolerance of uncertainty and FOC. Method: Participants were 168 primiparous pregnant and 124 multiparous pregnant women. Women fill out the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ), Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), and a demographic sheet while waiting for regular prenatal checkup in hospital. Results: Results showed that perceived preparedness was a full mediator between intolerance of uncertainty and FOC in primiparous women. Intolerance of uncertainty was not correlated with FOC nor preparedness in multiparous women. Conclusions: Intolerance of uncertainty predicted FOC only indirectly through lower perceived preparedness for childbirth in primiparous women. Practical implications are discussed. (AU)

Antecedentes: El miedo al parto puede acarrear consecuencias desfavorables para las mujeres gestantes. Las disposiciones de personalidad constituyen uno de los predictores del miedo al parto, una de las cuales es la incertidumbre. Hasta ahora los estudios no han sido concluyentes al indicar que la intolerancia a la incertidumbre predecía el miedo al alumbramiento en mujeres encinta. No obstante, no se han examinado suficientemente los mecanismos subyacentes a dicha relación. Método: Así, este estudio transversal se propone analizar el papel mediador que juega la preparación percibida para el parto en la asociación entre intolerancia a la incertidumbre y el miedo al parto. Han participado 168 embarazadas primíparas y 124 multíparas, que cumplimentaron el Cuestionario Wijma sobre Expectativas/Experiencia sobre el Parto, la Escala de Intolerancia a la Incertidumbre y un formulario demográfico mientras esperaban a la revisión prenatal en el hospital. Resultados: Los resultados muestran que la preparación percibida es un gran mediador de la relación entre la intolerancia a la incertidumbre y el miedo al parto en mujeres primíparas. En las mujeres multíparas la intolerancia a la incertidumbre no correlacionaba con el miedo al parto ni con la preparación para ese momento. Conclusiones: La intolerancia a la incertidumbre predijo el miedo al parto solo indirectamente a través de una menor preparación percibida para el parto en mujeres primíparas. Se comentan las implicaciones prácticas. (AU)

Negative life events and sleep disturbance among adolescents: Intolerance of uncertainty as mediator and moderator.

BACKGROUND: While negative life events (NLEs) have been linked to an increased risk of sleep disturbance among adolescents, the mechanisms of this impact still lack further examination. The current study aimed to explore whether intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a dispositional transdiagnostic vulnerability factor for psychopathology, could act as a mediator and/or moderator in the link from NLEs to sleep disturbance. METHODS: A longitudinal nested subsample of 54,240 Chinese adolescents (aged 9-19) were surveyed at baseline (Timepoint 1) and six months later (Timepoint 2). They completed questionnaires to assess their IU, NLEs, sleep disturbance and sociodemographic characteristics. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to test our hypotheses. RESULTS: Upon adjusting for covariates, IU was found to mediate the relationship between NLEs and residual changes in sleep disturbance over a six-month period, with the mediation effect accounting for 31.8%. Additionally, the moderating role of IU in this relationship was also identified, suggesting that a high level of IU exacerbated the effect of NLEs on sleep disturbance. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our findings shed light on the dual roles of IU in the link from NLEs to sleep disturbance, holding significant practical implications for preventing and intervening in sleep disturbance among adolescents. To mitigate the risk of sleep disturbance among adolescents experiencing NLEs, timely assessments of IU and tailored interventions to enhance uncertainty tolerance are necessary.

Spirituality, Intolerance and Fear of COVID-19: Psychological Distress Among Older Adults in Pakistan.

The present study aimed to investigate the role of spirituality, intolerance of uncertainty (IU), and fear of COVID-19 as correlates and predictors of psychological distress among older adults in Pakistan and also assess the gender differences among research variables. Using a quantitative correlational survey research design, a sample of 150 (75 = Men, 75 = Women) older adults aged 55 years and above from different cities of Pakistan were approached through a non-probability purposive sampling strategy. Participants completed the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale IUS-12, Fear of COVID-19, and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-K10. Spirituality has a significant negative relationship with psychological distress. Whereas, IU (Inhibitory anxiety and prospective anxiety) and fear of COVID-19 have a significant positive relationship with psychological distress. Results also showed that spirituality, IU dimensions, and fear of COVID-19 emerged as significant predictors of psychological distress among older adults after controlling for the effect of covariates. In addition, elderly females significantly showed more spirituality, less IU, and fear of COVID-19 as compared to elderly males. It is proposed that mental health care plays an important role in treating the psychological needs of older adults in pandemic situations and that further study is needed to develop effective solutions for older persons in stressful situations such as pandemics.

Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the intolerance of uncertainty scale: a multinational study.

INTRODUCTION: It is common for people to experience anxiety when contemplating their unknown future. Studies have shown that those who tend to worry more about their future are more likely to be intolerant of uncertainty. In order to study the way people from the Middle East tackle uncertainty, a valid and reliable scale is needed. In this context, the present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the 12-item Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12) in a community sample of native Arabic-speaking participants from Lebanon, Egypt, and Kuwait. METHODS: A sample of 2038 university students answered the survey, with a mean age of 22.30 ± 4.15 years and 77.5% females. A Google Form link was dissipated among participants that included some demographic questions, the IUS-12 and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-8). RESULTS: Following the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), a bi-dimensional model of the Arabic version of the IUS-12 was found. The scale showed an excellent internal reliability for the prospective anxiety (ω = 0.85 / α = 0.85) and inhibitory anxiety (ω = 0.87 / α = 0.87). Additionally, the results illustrated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across genders and countries. Furthermore, Egypt and Lebanon were seen to have statistically significant higher levels of inhibitory anxiety compared to Kuwait, while only Egypt showed statistically significant higher prospective anxiety compared to Kuwait. Finally, higher psychological distress was significantly and positively associated with higher prospective and inhibitory anxiety. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide support for the psychometric reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the IUS-12, allowing for its generalizability and suitability for use among individuals from different Arabic-speaking nations.