Childhood attachment and behavioral inhibition: Predicting intolerance of uncertainty in adulthood

Examining anxious temperament in anorexia nervosa: Behavioural inhibition and intolerance of uncertainty and their contribution to trait anxiety in adolescents with anorexia nervosa

BACKGROUND

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious and complex psychiatric disorder yet treatment results are suboptimal. Insight into the etiology of this illness is much needed. Research highlights the implication of anxiety-related traits in the development and maintenance of AN. This study investigates firstly, behavioural inhibition and intolerance for uncertainty (IU) in adolescents with and without AN, and secondly relations between these traits.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, 165 adolescent girls (AN = 94, HC = 71) completed questionnaires measuring behavioural inhibition, IU and trait anxiety. ANOVAs tested differences between AN and HC groups, and mediation models with IU as a mediator between behavioural inhibition and trait anxiety were run.

RESULTS

AN adolescents reported significantly higher levels of behavioural inhibition, IU and trait anxiety compared to their peers. In both AN and HC, a direct and a total effect of behavioural inhibition on trait anxiety was found. However, only in the AN group IU partially mediated the relation between behavioural inhibition and trait anxiety.

LIMITATIONS

Data is cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are required. A mean illness duration of nearly 2 years may mean early effects of malnourishment and habituation and future studies should include patients with shorter illness duration.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight that behavioural inhibition and IU may contribute to anxiety in AN whilst their peers may have developed better executive and social-emotional skills to manage uncertainty. Adolescents with AN may benefit from interventions targeting behavioural inhibition and IU.

We only know that we don't know: attachment patterns and psychological coping during the COVID-19 pandemic - the mediation role of intolerance of uncertainty

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic created sudden changes in many areas of daily life and increased uncertainty about the future. Two studies examined the association between attachment patterns and mental well-being during the pandemic, the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty (IOU), and factors related to social relationships and self-perceptions. The results of the first study, conducted at the outbreak of the pandemic, indicated that individuals with high levels of attachment anxiety experienced more negative emotions and fewer positive emotions at that time, and that IOU and perceived social support mediated these associations. The results of the second study, conducted several months into the pandemic, indicated an association between attachment anxiety and avoidance, and perceived stress during the time of the pandemic. Results of Study 2 also indicated that IOU mediated the association between attachment anxiety and stress, and that sense of coherence (SOC) mediated the association between attachment anxiety and avoidance, and stress. These findings underscore the adverse psychological effects of uncertain situations, especially for individuals with a fragile foundation of interpersonal support, thus emphasizing the need for action to reduce uncertainty, especially in times of emergency.

The Association of Child Abuse Experiences and Intolerance of Uncertainty in Young Adults

Objective: Drawing upon the identity disruption model, we investigated the association between child abuse experiences (emotional, physical, and sexual) and intolerance of uncertainty. We also addressed demographic differences in uncertainty intolerance in this study. Methods: Using online survey questionnaires, we collected data from a sample of 302 young adults in Turkey. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, one-way analysis of variance, and independent samples t-test. Results: The results showed that of the three types of child abuse analyzed, only emotional abuse was significantly and positively associated with intolerance of uncertainty. In contrast, age was negatively associated with intolerance of uncertainty. Regarding demographic differences, we found that the level of intolerance of uncertainty differed based on young adults' gender, psychiatric diagnosis, and education. Specifically, our findings indicated that intolerance of uncertainty is significantly higher in females compared to males. It is also significantly higher in young adults with a diagnosis for psychiatric disorders than those without. Moreover, intolerance of uncertainty is significantly higher in young adults who have a high school graduate degree than their undergraduate and graduate counterparts. We discussed how child abuse is associated with heightened intolerance of uncertainty in young adulthood as well as why demographic differences may exist in uncertainty intolerance. Conclusions: The present study expanded the existing research on the psychological consequences of childhood abuse experiences by linking child abuse to intolerance of uncertainty. Particularly, exposure to emotional abuse in early life can be a risk factor to cope with uncertainty in later life.

Relationship between behavioral inhibition/activation system and Internet addiction among Chinese college students: The mediating effects of intolerance of uncertainty and self-control and gender differences

Background

Internet addiction is a global public health issue among college students that is associated with a range of negative outcomes. Especially the COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to shift most of their studies and life activities from offline to online, leading to a growing problem of Internet dependence and even Internet addiction. Although previous studies have indicated that the Behavioral Inhibition/Activation System (BIS/BAS) have important effects on college students' Internet addiction, the mechanisms underlying these associations and gender differences are still unclear.

Aims

The present study investigated the mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and self-control in the association between BIS/BAS and Internet addiction following the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model. Gender differences in such associations between variables were also tested.

Method

A total of 747 Chinese college students were surveyed by using Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction, BIS/BAS Scales, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale and the Brief Self-Control Scale.

Results

The results from the structural equation modeling analysis showed that BIS was positively related to Internet addiction and that BAS had a negative association with Internet addiction. Moreover, intolerance of uncertainty and self-control mediated the relationships between BIS/BAS and Internet addiction. Multi-group analysis further revealed that the associations between BAS and Internet addiction and between intolerance of uncertainty and Internet addiction were stronger among the male students than among female students. The relationship between self-control and Internet addiction was greater in the female sample than in the male sample.

Conclusions

These findings extend our understanding of how BIS/BAS influence Internet addiction among college students and suggest that not only should training approaches based on intolerance of uncertainty and self-control be fully considered, but different intervention programs should be focused on gender sensitivity to maximize the intervention effect.

Childhood behavioral inhibition and attachment: Links to generalized anxiety disorder in young adulthood

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is under-treated yet prevalent among young adults. Identifying early risk factors for GAD would contribute to its etiological model and identify potential targets for intervention. Insecure attachment patterns, specifically ambivalent and disorganized, have long been proposed as childhood risk factors for GAD. Similarly, childhood behavioral inhibition has been consistently associated with anxiety disorders in adulthood, including GAD. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), the tendency to react negatively to uncertain situations, has also been shown to be a crucial component of GAD. Furthermore, maternal anxiety is an important feature of developmental models of anxiety including GAD. Yet, to date, no study has examined, within a comprehensive model, how attachment and behavioral inhibition in childhood, maternal anxiety in adolescence, and IU in emerging adulthood contribute to GAD in adulthood. The present study thus examines these links using a longitudinal design with 62 Canadian participants and their mothers. At age 6, participants' attachment and behavioral inhibition were assessed observationally. Maternal anxiety was measured when participants were 14 years of age. IU and GAD were assessed when participants were 21 and 23 years of age, respectively. Structural equation modeling showed that IU mediates the relationships between behavioral inhibition and GAD, while controlling for maternal anxiety. Ambivalent and disorganized-controlling attachment patterns are also indirectly associated with increased GAD symptoms via greater IU scores. Furthermore, a direct and positive effect of behaviorally disorganized attachment was found on GAD symptoms. This longitudinal study supports integrating attachment, behavioral inhibition, and IU in a model of GAD.

Early childhood temperament predicts intolerance of uncertainty in adolescence

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is the trait propensity to react negatively to uncertainty. To date, very few studies have explored early childhood predictors of IU. The current study identifies relations between child temperament assessed at age 3 (N = 559) and IU assessed at ages 12 (N = 432) and 15 (N = 415). Temperament was assessed through both laboratory observation (Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery) and maternal report (Children's Behavior Questionnaire). IU was assessed through both maternal rating and child self-report using the 12-item Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children. Higher levels of temperamental negative emotionality/neuroticism and lower levels of temperamental positive emotionality/extraversion assessed at age 3 predicted higher levels of IU in early-mid adolescence. Unique relationships were found at the trait facet level, and differences were observed between informants. These findings suggest that certain early child temperament traits can serve as markers of risk for difficulty dealing with uncertainty later in life. Future research should explore whether this relationship translates to increased risk for psychopathology.

What is the internal structure of intolerance of uncertainty? A network analysis approach

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor spanning psychological disorders. Although IU has been extensively studied, its internal structure is still not fully understood. In the current study, we applied network analysis to investigate IU - as measured by the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised (IUS-R) - in two large non-clinical samples, consisting of undergraduates (N = 1172) and community individuals (N = 1759). Network analysis revealed that feeling a general internal uncertainty aversion and the belief that things have to be planned in advance are the most central nodes in both samples. Moreover, the community analysis revealed that, in both samples, the network of IU consists of three communities referring to negative beliefs about uncertainty, behavioral reactions to uncertainty, and emotional reactions to uncertainty. Lastly, the network was highly similar in undergraduates and community individuals in terms of network similarity, global connectivity, and structure and items mean levels; only minimal-to-negligible differences were found. The way current findings expand our knowledge of the internal structure of IU, along with theoretical and clinical implications, are discussed.