Intolerance of Uncertainty and PTSD Symptoms: Exploring the Construct Relationship in a Community Sample with a Heterogeneous Trauma History

Intolerance of uncertainty has received substantial empirical attention in recent years. The contribution of intolerance of uncertainty to the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders has become increasingly recognized by researchers; however, relationships between intolerance of uncertainty and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder remain largely unexplored. As part of a larger study, North American community members (n = 122, 81 % women) with a heterogeneous trauma history completed self-report measures assessing intolerance of uncertainty and its dimensions (inhibitory and prospective intolerance of uncertainty) and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (re-experiencing, avoidance, numbing, hyperarousal). Intolerance of uncertainty total scores accounted for statistically significant variance in each posttraumatic stress disorder symptom score except re-experiencing. Inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty scores accounted for statistically significant variance in each posttraumatic stress disorder symptom score except re-experiencing. Prospective intolerance of uncertainty scores did not account for statistically significant variance in any of the posttraumatic stress disorder symptom scores. Results suggest that intolerance of uncertainty relates differentially to posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters and inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty appears to be the main component of the relationship.