Stomaching uncertainty: Relationships among intolerance of uncertainty, eating disorder pathology, and comorbid emotional symptoms

Vidhya Renjan; Peter M McEvoy; Alicia K Handley; Anthea Fursland

doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.03.008

Stomaching uncertainty: Relationships among intolerance of uncertainty, eating disorder pathology, and comorbid emotional symptoms

J Anxiety Disord. 2016 Jun:41:88-95. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.03.008. Epub 2016 Mar 18.

Authors

Vidhya Renjan¹, Peter M McEvoy², Alicia K Handley¹, Anthea Fursland³

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
² School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia; Centre for Clinical Interventions, Perth, Australia. Electronic address: peter.mcevoy@curtin.edu.au.
³ School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia; Centre for Clinical Interventions, Perth, Australia.

PMID: 27019977
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.03.008

Abstract

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is proposed to be a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor for various emotional disorders. There is robust evidence for the role of IU in anxiety and depressive disorders, but a paucity of evidence in eating disorders (ED). This study evaluated the factorial validity, internal consistency, and convergent validity of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Short Form (IUS-12; Carleton, Norton, & Asmundson, 2007), and examined whether IU is associated with ED pathology and comorbid emotional symptoms, in a clinical sample with EDs (N=134). A unitary factor solution provided the best fit. The IUS-12 showed excellent internal consistency, and good convergent validity. IU had an indirect effect on dietary restraint, purging, and emotional symptoms via overvaluation of eating, weight, and shape. The indirect effect was not significant for bingeing. Findings provide partial support for the notion that IU is a vulnerability factor for ED pathology and support the notion that IU is a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor for emotional symptoms. Limitations, research implications, and future directions for research are discussed.

Keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Anxiety; Bulimia nervosa; Depression; Eating disorders; Intolerance of uncertainty; Intolerance of uncertainty scale; Transdiagnostic.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Anxiety Disorders / complications
Anxiety Disorders / psychology*
Depressive Disorder / complications
Depressive Disorder / psychology*
Emotions
Feeding and Eating Disorders / complications
Feeding and Eating Disorders / psychology*
Female
Humans
Male
Uncertainty*
Young Adult