Keywords

Intolerance of uncertainty; Social anxiety; Scale development; Factor analysis; Psychometric validation

Abstract

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is commonly defined as the tendency for one to interpret uncertainty as negative or threatening. Most general or non-specific measures of IU show a strong relationship with worry and generalized anxiety; however, a specialized measure of intolerance of uncertainty in social situations could provide insight into the role of IU in social anxiety. This study's purpose was to develop and validate the Intolerance of Uncertainty in Social Interactions Scale, a comprehensive measure designed to assess intolerance of uncertainty in social situations. Participants consisted of a non-referred, adult undergraduate sample (N=456). Based on an exploratory factor analysis, a two-factor solution was retained, with factors labeled 'Social Ambiguity' and 'Need to Reduce'. Both subscales were found to have good reliability, construct validity, incremental validity, and internal validity. For example, in terms of incremental validity, the IU-SIS predicted up to 16% of the variance in score on measures of social anxiety after controlling for variance explained by well-established, general measures of IU. The IU-SIS shows great promise as a tool to further investigate the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and social anxiety.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2023

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Fisak, Brian

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree Program

Psychology Clinical

Identifier

CFE0009718; DP0027825

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0027825

Language

English

Release Date

August 2023

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Subjects

Uncertainty--Social aspects; Anxiety--Social aspects; Social interaction--Testing; Uncertainty--Psychological aspects; Social phobia--Testing

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