When it comes to worrying, are some types more susceptible than others?
The intolerance of uncertainty model (IUM) of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) outlines four components which can add to both the development and maintenance of worry in GAD. They are intolerance of uncertainty (IU), positive beliefs about worry, negative problem orientation, and cognitive avoidance. Recent studies report that the relationship between IU and worry is mediated by positive beliefs about worry and negative problem orientation. This study looked at whether these mediation relationships appear when the two subtypes of IU, prospective and inhibitory IU, are examined separately. One hundred and sixty Australians from an convenience sample took an online survey to check each IUM component, worry, and depression. The results suggest positive beliefs about worry and negative problem orientation mediated the relationship between IU and worry. Only positive beliefs about worry mediated the relationship between prospective IU and worry, and only negative problem orientation mediated the relationship between inhibitory IU and worry. On the whole, this indicates that the two IU subtypes influence worry along varied pathways. The implications for these findings may mean there are ways to target elements of the IUM in people with GAD and other anxiety disorders.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12421
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