Intolerance of uncertainty and physiological responses during instructed uncertain threat: A multi-lab investigation

• Published in: Biological psychology 2022-01, Vol.167, p.108223-108223, Article 108223
• Main Authors: Morriss, Jayne, Bradford, Daniel E., Wake, Shannon, Biagi, Nicolo, Tanovic, Ema, Kaye, Jesse T., Joormann, Jutta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Corrugator supercilii; Humans; Instructed; Intolerance of uncertainty; Orbicularis oculi; Reflex, Startle - physiology; Self Report; Skin conductance; Threat; Uncertainty
• ISSN: 0301-0511; 1873-6246
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108223

Individuals with high self-reported Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) tend to interpret uncertainty negatively. Recent research has been inconclusive on evidence of an association between IU and physiological responses during instructed uncertain threat. To address this gap, we conducted secondary analyses of IU and physiology data recorded during instructed uncertain threat tasks from two lab sites (Wisconsin-Madison; n = 128; Yale, n = 95). No IU-related effects were observed for orbicularis oculi activity (auditory startle-reflex). Higher IU was associated with: (1) greater corrugator supercilii activity to predictable and unpredictable threat of shock, compared to the safety from shock, and (2) poorer discriminatory skin conductance response between the unpredictable threat of shock, relative to the safety from shock. These findings suggest that IU-related biases may be captured differently depending on the physiological measure during instructed uncertain threat. Implications of these findings for neurobiological models of uncertainty and anticipation in anxiety are discussed. •Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is the tendency to react negatively to uncertainty.•We conducted an analysis of two datasets using instructed uncertain threat tasks.•No IU-related effects were found for orbicularis oculi activity.•IU was associated with corrugator supercilli activity.•IU was associated with skin conductance response.