Uncertainty Beliefs – Experiment Record

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a disposition – or character trait – which develops from one’s beliefs about uncertainty and its consequences (Dugas & Robichaud, 2007). Some people have a positive attitude towards uncertainty (“It’s boring to always know what’s going to happen”, “I like to trust my intuition and go with the flow”) whereas people who have high IU tend to have more negative beliefs about uncertainty (e.g. “It’s unbearable not knowing”, “Uncertainty ruins everything”) and may find it hard to tolerate even a small amount of uncertainty. 

Intolerance of uncertainty has long been part of cognitive models of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD: e.g. Dugas, Gagnon, Ladouceur, Freeston, 1998) and there is a strong relationship between IU and GAD (e.g. Donegan et al, 2010; Dugas & Ladouceur, 2000). It is also increasingly recognized as a transdiagnostic risk factor for many clinical conditions, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating

“People sometimes react strongly to uncertainty because of what they believe about it. While some people are OK with uncertainty and ‘not knowing’, for other people it is almost as though they are allergic to uncertainty – even a small amount can cause a powerful reaction. People who are ‘allergic to uncertainty’ often spend a lot of time trying to avoid it, either by worrying about what might happen, or by thinking of coping strategies for uncertain situations they can’t avoid. Can you relate to this? The problem is that these ‘solutions’ to uncertainty come with their own costs. This exercise is designed to help you to explore some of your beliefs about uncertainty – would you be willing to do that with me?” 

1. Uncertainty beliefs. Explore the client’s beliefs about uncertainty. Hebert & Dugas recommend that clients can be encouraged to complete the Intolerance of uncertainty scale (IUS)

• Carleton, R. N., Mulvogue, M. K., Thibodeau, M. A., McCabe, R. E., Antony, M. M., & Asmundson, G. J. (2012). Increasingly certain about uncertainty: Intolerance of uncertainty across anxiety and depression. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 26(3), 468-479.
• Donegan, E. (2010). Cognitive-behavioural therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: Examining the patterns of symptom change and the role of intolerance of uncertainty (Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University).
• Dugas, M. J., Gagnon, F., Ladouceur, R., & Freeston, M. H. (1998). Generalized anxiety disorder: A preliminary test of a conceptual model. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(2), 215-226.
• Dugas, M. J., & Ladouceur, R. (2000). Treatment of GAD: Targeting intolerance of uncertainty in two types of worry. Behavior Modification, 24(5), 635-657.
• Hebert, E. A., & Dugas, M. J. (2019). Behavioral experiments for intolerance of uncertainty: Challenging the unknown in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 26(2), 421-436.
• Renjan, V., McEvoy, P. M.,