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Bell KM, Holmberg D, Chapman ZA. The Perils of the Unknown: Intolerance of Uncertainty and Intimate Partner Violence Across the First Four Pandemic Waves. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2024:8862605241270064. [PMID: 39169733 DOI: 10.1177/08862605241270064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Theory suggests that intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a tendency to perceive uncertain events as threatening, may serve as a potential risk factor for increased intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration; however, few studies have investigated this association, and none have taken a longitudinal approach. We investigated the issue in two longitudinal online investigations (initial N = 282 and 1,118), with time periods ranging from just before the COVID-19 pandemic to the fourth pandemic wave, approximately 1.5 years later. IU was a significant predictor of IPV cross-sectionally, and in the short term longitudinally (i.e., over periods of weeks); however, it did not predict IPV over the longer term (i.e., over periods of months or years). In addition, our longitudinal design allowed assessment of IPV trends across pandemic waves. Physical IPV rates remained low and steady across time. Psychological IPV rates showed an increase in the early days of the pandemic, but then dropped and stabilized, albeit at a somewhat higher rate than pre-pandemic. Study 2 had ample representation of LGBTQ+ respondents and showed that the patterns and processes worked similarly for LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ individuals.
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Kumar S, Davidson CA, Saini R, Jain R. The Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Religiousness in Schizotypal Personality and Life Satisfaction: A Cross-Sectional Study. THE JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2024:1-19. [PMID: 39013006 DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2024.2372578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Intolerance of uncertainty is an important trans-diagnostic determinant of mental disorders. It is related to psychotic symptoms and religiousness. Religiousness is related to schizotypal personality and wellbeing. Therefore, in a cross-sectional study, we studied the effects of intolerance of uncertainty and religiousness on schizotypal personality and the schizotypal personality-mediated effects of intolerance of uncertainty and religiousness on life satisfaction. On a sample of 734 college students (age, M = 20.3, SD = 3.48), intolerance of uncertainty, religiousness, life satisfaction, and schizotypal personality were measured through paper-pencil questionnaires. The results showed that intolerance of uncertainty had positive (direct) relationships with all schizotypal personality dimensions. However, intolerance of uncertainty had positive (mediated by ideas of reference and magical thinking) and negative (mediated by eccentric behavior) indirect effects on life satisfaction. Religiousness had direct as well as indirect (mediated by eccentric behavior) positive effects on life satisfaction. However, the behaving (mediated by ideas of reference) and belonging (mediated by magical thinking) sub-dimensions of religiousness had some indirect negative effects on life satisfaction. Thus, the present study shows that intolerance of uncertainty is an important contributor to psychotic proneness. Religiousness is largely health-enhancing. Moreover, there is a nuanced pattern of interactional relationship between intolerance of uncertainty, religiousness, schizotypal personality, and life satisfaction. We have discussed the theoretical and applied implications of the findings.
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Lisøy RS, Pfuhl G, Sunde HF, Biegler R. Sweet spot in music-Is predictability preferred among persons with psychotic-like experiences or autistic traits? PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275308. [PMID: 36174035 PMCID: PMC9521895 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
People prefer music with an intermediate level of predictability; not so predictable as to be boring, yet not so unpredictable that it ceases to be music. This sweet spot for predictability varies due to differences in the perception of predictability. The symptoms of both psychosis and Autism Spectrum Disorder have been attributed to overestimation of uncertainty, which predicts a preference for predictable stimuli and environments. In a pre-registered study, we tested this prediction by investigating whether psychotic and autistic traits were associated with a higher preference for predictability in music. Participants from the general population were presented with twenty-nine pre-composed music excerpts, scored on their complexity by musical experts. A participant's preferred level of predictability corresponded to the peak of the inverted U-shaped curve between music complexity and liking (i.e., a Wundt curve). We found that the sweet spot for predictability did indeed vary between individuals. Contrary to predictions, we did not find support for these variations being associated with autistic and psychotic traits. The findings are discussed in the context of the Wundt curve and the use of naturalistic stimuli. We also provide recommendations for further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekka Solvik Lisøy
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Gerit Pfuhl
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT–The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Hans Fredrik Sunde
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Robert Biegler
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Vadivel B, Azadfar Z, Talib MA, Mutlak DA, Suksatan W, Abbood AAA, Sultan MQ, Allen KA, Patra I, Hammid AT, Abdollahi A, Chupradit S. Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12: Psychometric Properties of This Construct Among Iranian Undergraduate Students. Front Psychol 2022; 13:894316. [PMID: 35756321 PMCID: PMC9216185 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.894316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Uncertainty intolerance (IU), the tendency to think or react negatively toward uncertain events may have implication on individuals' mental health and psychological wellbeing. The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12 (IU-12) is commonly used across the globe to measure IU, however, its' psychometric properties are yet to be evaluated in Iran with a Persian-speaking population. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to translate and validate the IU-12 among Iranian undergraduate students. Materials and Methods The multi-stage cluster random sampling was employed to recruit 410 Iranian undergraduate students (260 females) from the Azad University to complete the IU-12, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-2, and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire in a cross-sectional design. In this study, face validity, content validity, construct validity, and concurrent validity were measured and Construct Reliability (CR) and Cronbach's alpha were used to measure reliability. Results The impact score of the translated IU-12 indicated acceptable face validity (value of impact score was greater than 1.5). The value of Content Validity Index (CVI) and the value of Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were above 0.7 and 0.78, respectively. The values of CVI and CVR indicated the items had acceptable content validity and were deemed essential to the measure. The measurement model analysis showed the measure with two subscales had good fit indices (CMIN/df = 2.75, p < 0.01, RMSEA = 0.07, TLI = 0.94, CFI = 0.95, GFI = 0.94). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicated the scale was composed of the two subscales found in the English-version of the scale (prospective anxiety and inhibitory anxiety), and no items were removed from the scale. The values of CR (0.86) and Cronbach's alphas (0.89) showed the measure had appropriate internal consistency. Conclusion The findings support the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the IU-12. This scale could be used to reliably and accurately measure uncertainty intolerance among undergraduate students in Iran.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zahra Azadfar
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mansor Abu Talib
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Wanich Suksatan
- Faculty of Nursing, HRH Princess Chulabhorn College of Medical Science, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Abbas Abd Ali Abbood
- Department of Business Administration, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah, Iraq
| | | | - Kelly A. Allen
- Educational Psychology and Inclusive Education, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Ali Thaeer Hammid
- Computer Engineering Department, Imam Ja’afar Al-Sadiq University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Abbas Abdollahi
- Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Supat Chupradit
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
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Larsen EM, Donaldson KR, Liew M, Mohanty A. Conspiratorial Thinking During COVID-19: The Roles of Paranoia, Delusion-Proneness, and Intolerance of Uncertainty. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:698147. [PMID: 34483993 PMCID: PMC8416269 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.698147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 global pandemic has left many feeling a sense of profound uncertainty about their world, safety, and livelihood. Sources espousing misinformation and conspiracy theories frequently offer information that can help make sense of this uncertainty. Individuals high in intolerance of uncertainty (IU) may be particularly impacted by the impoverished epistemic environment and may thus be more drawn to conspiratorial thinking (CT). In the present work, we show across 2 studies (N = 519) that COVID-19-specific CT is associated with higher levels of IU as well as delusion-proneness, and paranoia. Furthermore, delusion-proneness and paranoia explained the relationship between IU and CT and emerged as independent partial correlates of CT even when controlling for other facets of schizotypy. In contrast, anxiety did not explain the relationship between IU and CT. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of individual differences in IU, delusion-proneness and paranoia in the development of CT in the context of the acute uncertainty of a global crisis, in which conspiracy theories are more prevalent and salient. Informational intervention designs may benefit from leveraging the body of work demonstrating the efficacy of targeting IU to incite meaningful changes in thinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmett M. Larsen
- Neuroscience of Emotion, Cognition, and Psychopathology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
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Sadeh N, Bredemeier K. Engaging in Risky and Impulsive Behaviors to Alleviate Distress Mediates Associations Between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Externalizing Psychopathology. J Pers Disord 2021; 35:393-408. [PMID: 31682196 PMCID: PMC8314479 DOI: 10.1521/pedi_2019_33_456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite increasing recognition that intolerance of uncertainty is a transdiagnostic dimension of psychopathology, very little research has investigated its relevance for externalizing psychopathology and related risky/impulsive behavior. Ninety-five unselected adults (ages 19-55, 53% men) recruited from the community completed a measure of intolerance of uncertainty, externalizing traits and problems, and risky/impulsive behavior. Higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty were associated with greater endorsement of externalizing symptoms (e.g., aggression, alcohol/marijuana use, problematic impulsivity) and last-month risky and impulsive behaviors. Relations between intolerance of uncertainty and externalizing symptoms/risky behaviors were mediated by a motivation to engage in these behaviors to avoid distress, but not by the motivation to experience pleasurable emotions. Findings suggest that difficulty tolerating uncertainty may confer risk for the externalizing spectrum of psychopathology by increasing the likelihood that an individual will engage in risky behaviors to alleviate distressing or unpleasant emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Sadeh
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, 105 The Green, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Keith Bredemeier
- Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychiatry, 3535 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Pettine WW, Louie K, Murray JD, Wang XJ. Excitatory-inhibitory tone shapes decision strategies in a hierarchical neural network model of multi-attribute choice. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008791. [PMID: 33705386 PMCID: PMC7987200 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We are constantly faced with decisions between alternatives defined by multiple attributes, necessitating an evaluation and integration of different information sources. Time-varying signals in multiple brain areas are implicated in decision-making; but we lack a rigorous biophysical description of how basic circuit properties, such as excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) tone and cascading nonlinearities, shape attribute processing and choice behavior. Furthermore, how such properties govern choice performance under varying levels of environmental uncertainty is unknown. We investigated two-attribute, two-alternative decision-making in a dynamical, cascading nonlinear neural network with three layers: an input layer encoding choice alternative attribute values; an intermediate layer of modules processing separate attributes; and a final layer producing the decision. Depending on intermediate layer E/I tone, the network displays distinct regimes characterized by linear (I), convex (II) or concave (III) choice indifference curves. In regimes I and II, each option's attribute information is additively integrated. In regime III, time-varying nonlinear operations amplify the separation between offer distributions by selectively attending to the attribute with the larger differences in input values. At low environmental uncertainty, a linear combination most consistently selects higher valued alternatives. However, at high environmental uncertainty, regime III is more likely than a linear operation to select alternatives with higher value. Furthermore, there are conditions where readout from the intermediate layer could be experimentally indistinguishable from the final layer. Finally, these principles are used to examine multi-attribute decisions in systems with reduced inhibitory tone, leading to predictions of different choice patterns and overall performance between those with restrictions on inhibitory tone and neurotypicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren Woodrich Pettine
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States of America
| | - Kenway Louie
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States of America
| | - John D. Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States of America
| | - Xiao-Jing Wang
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States of America
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