Intolerance Of Uncertainty And Its Relationship With Externalizing And Internalizing Psychopathology Among College Students: An Essay.

Intolerance of Uncertainty and Its Impact on Mental Health

Intolerance of uncertainty is related to aggression. The association between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and externalizing problems or pathology has not been extensively researched. Indirect research has established that IU is correlated with externalizing problems like aggression and drinking. These activities are used as coping strategies with IU. However, less research has analyzed the direct relationship between the two factors and thus, the present research aims at flourishing the relation directly (Gorka et al., 2018). This relation between these variables also affects college students as uncertainty before exams have a direct effect on their performance. They might get involved in risky and impulsive behaviors to alleviate their distressing and unpleasant emotions. A healthy relationship between IU and psychopathology is needed to develop healthy students. Thus, the research will analyze the difference between externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in relation to healthy students. The paper will also analyze the role of mediators like personality effect, cognitive control and impulsivity affecting the affiliation between IU and psychopathology among college students, (Sadeh & Bredemeier, 2021).

According to Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007), intolerance of uncertainty is demarcated as the inclination of an individual to accept that there lies the possibility of a negative unacceptable, irrespective event to occur. IU leads to a state of anxiety, worry, and related anxiety pathologies among the individuals. Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007), has used the 27-item Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS) to measure IU in the participants. Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007), has undertaken undergraduate students as its target sample. A psychometrically stable 12-item two-factor version of the IUS  was evaluated on them. Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007), discussed that fear is often expressed as a protective response to the identified threats and fear response is accompanied by a fight and flight response. Anxiety is also a response to potential uncertain threats. Ambiguity is considered to be a threat.  Intolerance of uncertainty is a discerning individual difference characteristic that involves excessive worry, state anxiety, and strong positive associations with anxiety-provoking disorders which include Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Panic Disorder. Intolerance of uncertainty leads to the perception that negative events may occur. Ambiguity is considered to be a threat. However, there is no definite way that can be used to predict the probability of its occurrences. UI people often interpret ambiguous information as the source of threat. Such intolerance often leads to significant somatic stress reactions. Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007), concluded that high intolerance of uncertainty often impairs problem-solving skills, which leads to prevention of ambiguous situations. Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007), also concluded that high rates of anxiety could lead to misinterpreted physical sensations like rapid heart rate or shaky hands. Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007), also concluded that IU could lead to high chances of anxiety-related disorders as worries are an important aspect of IU.

Confirming Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007), Gentes, Ruscio (2011), also stated but confined the discussion of the effect of IU on the development of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Gentes, Ruscio (2011), has worked on the gap created by past pieces of literature that have not concluded about the specific problem on GAD due to IU. Following the cross-sectional association. Intolerance to uncertainty is relevant to causing GAD as the most important factor of IU is considered to be the higher-order process. The positive beliefs about worry refer to the concept of holding worrying will help to face the uncertainty in some war thereby giving way to the gradual development of GAD. a predominant feature is OCD can always be associated with IU as it is related to the difficulty one faces while dealing with tolerating ambiguity and uncertain conditions. For example, the uncertainty of getting infected by germs makes the client worried and anxious, and therefore, he gets involved in checking compulsions. The very thought that he might get involved in the uncertainty of missing the important information and thus get into a difficult situation and thus checking collusion is a coping strategy that is obtained. Gentes, Ruscio (2011),  has tried to analyze the effect of IU on depression, OCD and GAD. The result has concluded that there is a significant relation between IU with GAD and OCD as IU plays an important role in the theories of the disorders. Gentes, Ruscio (2011), has established the relation between IU and Major Depressive Disorder which has not been discussed by Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007). Gentes, Ruscio (2011), has failed to analyze the comparative scale across all three syndromes of the OCD-specific definition due to the lack of earlier studies that have focused on OCD definitions.  

The Relationship Between IU and Externalizing and Internalizing Psychopathology among College Students

Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental health difficulties across the globe. IU has been demarcated in many ways. At the core of IU, is the fear of the indefinite. Osmana?ao?lu, Creswell  & Dodd, (2018) like Carleton, Norton & Asmundson, (2007) and Gentes, Ruscio (2011) have also discussed similar concepts which can lead to anxiety and fear among children and adolescents. Osmana?ao?lu, Creswell  & Dodd, (2018) however is unique in analyzing the effect of worry and IU on children and adolescents in particular. The aim of the research is to analyze the IU has helped in the development of and maintenance of worry and anxiety among adults. The research has concluded that there is a strong relation and positive correlation between anxiety and IU among young people. There is evidence of the existence of a strong relationship between the positive correlation between worry and IU among the children. However, it can be stated that Osmana?ao?lu, Creswell  & Dodd, (2018) has failed to analyze if there is a difference in the effects of IU on the gender of children. This can be further analyzed in their future research papers. This study used a cross-sectional research method to collect data and thus conclude that there is a strong relationship between worry and a range of anxiety disorders among young children and adolescents. Osmana?ao?lu, Creswell  & Dodd, (2018) concluded that IU can be an effective treatment in diagnosing the treatment method that will be effective for a wide range of anxiety disorders that is developed as a result of IU. IU earlier was considered to be associated with GAD and now it is evident to be associated according to the paper, as a transdiagnostic risk factor causing significant anxiety and also depression.

The paper by Neki? & Mami?, (2019) aimed at analyzing the influence of the intolerance of uncertainty and mindfulness to address the symptoms of anxiety and depression. The target sample group for the research was female college students. Neki? & Mami?, (2019) concluded that female students showed moderate levels of anxiety and depression as a result of their IU. Neki? & Mami?, (2019) also concluded that mindfulness can help in the reduction of psychological distress like depression and anxiety among college students. It will help them concentrate on their studies. Students often get preoccupied with their past mistakes instead of learning from them and moving on. This affects their concentration on future prospects and thus affects their performances in the future as well. These factors accumulate to affect the mental health as IU makes them fearful of the everyday uncertainty.  

Lauriola et al., (2019) has discussed a different effect of Intolerance of Uncertainty which has not been discussed earlier. It analyzes the effect of Intolerance of Uncertainty on sleep quality and anxiety sensitivity. As a chronic effect of Intolerance of Uncertainty, insomnia symptoms can also be detected along with GAD, OCD, or Depression. Through the use of structural equation modeling, Lauriola et al., (2019) has aimed to analyze the relationship between IU and insomnia symptoms and sleep disturbance. Lauriola et al., (2019)  had conducted research on three hundred undergraduate students thereby analyzing the effect of IU on the students. Lauriola et al., (2019) concluded that there is a significant indirect effect of IU on insomnia and sleep disturbance. Lauriola et al., (2019) concluded that an anxious pathway is strongly associated with the severity of insomnia among the respondents. Lauriola et al., (2019) further concluded that the depression pathway has shown more relevance to impairing sleep quality. Thus, it can be stated that IU can affect the uncertainty of the students who feel anxious around assessment time and that can affect their performance as well as it affects the sleep cycle and sleep cycle affects the body mechanism. Individuals with the symptoms of insomnia are most likely to suffer from depressive symptoms and anxiety disorder and thus, the performance of the student is kiwi to be affected when the student is high on anxiety. Anxiety and stress can affect the thought process. Lauriola et al., (2019) stresses that though there have been fewer extensive studies analyzing the relation between anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty in sleep disorders, it can be stated that anxiety sensitivity has a strong association with poor sleep quality with panic disorders.

Role of Mediators in the Relationship between IU and Psychopathology among College Students

Academic condition is very demanding and challenging for students. Often students feel anxious about examinations as the competitive environment makes them achievement-oriented. With the urge to become successful and economically independent, students often get stressed about their academic performances. They tend to develop unrealistic goals and being unable to meet them causes psychological distress. There is an immense presence of stress in the academic setting. There is a need to identify and analyze the factors that lead to anxiety, depression and psychological distress among students as a result of IU. to analyze this result, research was conducted with this aim by Neki? & Mami?, (2019). The research paper by Neki? & Mami?, (2019) has tried to analyze the effect on the female students in particular and thus has met the gap that was present in the research conducted by Osmana?ao?lu, Creswell  & Dodd, (2018) as their paper could not tap on the effect of gender-based results of IU. 

Tang, (2019) in the paper aimed at analyzing the presence of interrelation that exists between the factors like resilience, achievement emotions, self-compassion and intolerance of uncertainty on academic performance, this relation is induced by examinations. This aspect has not been much analyzed. Tang, (2019) analyzed the factor of a group of university students. They have to fill in the questionnaires as a part of the research. The results of a cognitive test on anxiety being conducted by the research paper concluded it was affirmative about the affiliation between intolerance of uncertainty, and academic performance. Tang, (2019) concluded that there exists a strong and positively significant relationship between anxiety and self-compassion. Tang, (2019) also concluded that there is a strong liaison between resilience and intolerance of uncertainty. These factors are significantly related to self-referential implications.  Tang, (2019) also discussed that higher levels of test anxiety can lead to lower performance of the students in their academics. This aspect was not much explored by Neki? & Mami?, (2019).  

References

Carleton, R. N., Norton, M. P. J., & Asmundson, G. J. (2007). Fearing the unknown: A short version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. Journal of anxiety disorders, 21(1), 105-117.

Gentes EL, Ruscio AM. A meta-analysis of the relation of intolerance of uncertainty to symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clin Psychol Rev. 2011 Aug;31(6):923-33.

Gorka, S. M., Phan, K. L., Hosseini, B., Chen, E. Y., & McCloskey, M. S. (2018). Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Social Exclusion Mediates the Relation Between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Trait Aggression. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(6), 810–821. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702618776947

Lauriola, M., Carleton, R. N., Tempesta, D., Calanna, P., Socci, V., Mosca, O., ... & Ferrara, M. (2019). A correlational analysis of the relationships among intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety sensitivity, subjective sleep quality, and insomnia symptoms. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(18), 3253.

Neki?, M., & Mami?, S. (2019). Intolerance of uncertainty and mindfulness as determinants of anxiety and depression in female students. Behavioral sciences, 9(12), 135.

Osmana?ao?lu, N., Creswell, C., & Dodd, H. F. (2018). Intolerance of Uncertainty, anxiety, and worry in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, 225, 80-90.

Sadeh, N., & Bredemeier, K. (2021). Engaging in risky and impulsive behaviors to alleviate distress mediates associations between intolerance of uncertainty and externalizing psychopathology. Journal of personality disorders, 35(3), 393-408.

Tang, W. K. (2019). Resilience and self-compassion related with achievement emotions, test anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and academic achievement. Psychological Studies, 64(1), 92-102.