I told you it was safe: associations between intolerance of uncertainty and different parameters of uncertainty during instructed threat of shock

Background and objectives: self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) is the tendency to find uncertainty aversive. There is a lack of empirical research on how IU modulates anticipatory responding during threatening contexts with different parameters of uncertainty.Methods: exploratory secondary analyses were conducted on an existing data set (n = 45) to examine whether IU is related to a particular parameter of uncertainty during instructed threat of shock (i.e. certain shock, certain safety from shock, outcome uncertainty of shock, temporal uncertainty of shock).Results: analyses revealed that IU was associated with larger auditory startle blink during the anticipatory period for the certain safety from shock condition relative to the certain shock condition.Limitations: the sample was relatively small.Conclusions: individuals with higher self-reported IU may be more inclined to generalize threat to safety cues in the context of instructed threat of shock.

Affect, Anxiety/psychology, Cues, Female, Generalization, Psychological, Humans, Male, Safety, Self Report, Uncertainty, Young Adult

10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101620

0005-7916

101620

Morriss, Jayne

a6005806-07cf-4283-8766-900003a7306f

Bennett, Ken P.

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Larson, Christine L.

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