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An investigation of appraisals in individuals vulnerable to excessive worry: the role of intolerance of uncertainty

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Abstract

Several studies have been conducted to examine whether the construct of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) (Dugas, Gagnon, Ladouceur, & Freeston, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 215–226, 1998b) meets formal criteria as a cognitive vulnerability for excessive and uncontrollable worry. Cognitive models of anxiety suggest that vulnerability is manifest in the manner in which individuals process information. As such, cognitive bias is expected to be observed in individuals characterized by high levels of a putative cognitive vulnerability. In this study, individuals low (n = 110) and high (n = 89) on IU were compared on their appraisals of ambiguous, negative, and positive situations. Individuals high on IU appraised all situation types as more disconcerting relative to the comparison group. However, when controlling for demographics, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms, and mood variables, the groups differed only in their appraisals of ambiguous situations. Further, in the high-vulnerability group, degree of IU was a stronger predictor of appraisals of ambiguous situations than were GAD symptoms and mood variables. Tests of mediation showed that appraisals of ambiguous situations partly mediated the relationship of IU to worry, the main symptom of GAD; however, worry also emerged as a partial mediator of the relation of IU to appraisals of ambiguous situations. An exploratory analysis revealed that in individuals high on IU, appraisals were not specific to the content of current worries, whereas they were to some extent in individuals low on IU. The results are discussed within the context of findings emerging from cognitive models of GAD, in particular the model proposed by Dugas et al. (1998b).

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Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank Nicole Gervais, Erika Braithwaite, Simon Chicoine, Maria Dellerba, Joelle Jobin, Rachel Light, Zhongxu Liu, and Erika-May Poulin-Pasmore for their help with data collection and data entry. A portion of this research was presented at the congress of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT), Thessaloniki, Greece, September 2005. This research was conducted with the support of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department (PY-170), Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, H4B 1R6, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Naomi Koerner & Michel J. Dugas

  2. Clinique des troubles anxieux, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Michel J. Dugas

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  1. Naomi Koerner
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  2. Michel J. Dugas
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Correspondence to Michel J. Dugas.

Appendix

Appendix

Examples of Work Competence vignettes:

Ambiguous:

Our boss at work discussed the company’s poor performance and agreed that I was the most responsiblea

Today, my supervisor called me to their office to discuss the change in the quality of my work over the last few weeks

On my first night as a chef in the restaurant, I was called to the diners’ tables twicea

Negative:

My boss pulled me aside today to discuss my poor work ethica

Positive:

My summer job applications are going very well, so far I have been offered second interviews by all three of the companies I’d most like to work fora

  1. aScenarios retained from the Ambiguous/Unambiguous Situations Diary (Davey et al., 1992)

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Koerner, N., Dugas, M.J. An investigation of appraisals in individuals vulnerable to excessive worry: the role of intolerance of uncertainty. Cogn Ther Res 32, 619–638 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-007-9125-2

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