Ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance, need for cognition, and their association with stress. A study among Italian practicing physicians

Simone Tirelli,Anna Mottini,Paola Iannello,Alessandro Antonietti,Silvia Riva

doi:10.1080/10872981.2016.1270009

Simone Tirelli, Anna Mottini + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2016.1270009

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Abstract

ABSTRACTMedical practice is inherently ambiguous and uncertain. The physicians’ ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty has been proved to have a great impact on clinical practice. The primary aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that higher degree of physicians’ ambiguity and uncertainty intolerance and higher need for cognitive closure will predict higher work stress. Two hundred and twelve physicians (mean age = 42.94 years; SD = 10.72) from different medical specialties with different levels of expertise were administered a set of questionnaires measuring perceived levels of work-related stress, individual ability to tolerate ambiguity, stress deriving from uncertainty, and personal need for cognitive closure. A linear regression analysis was performed to examine which variables predict the perceived level of stress. The regression model was statistically significant [R2 = .32; F(10,206) = 8.78, p ≤ .001], thus showing that, after controlling for gender and medical specialty, ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance, decisiveness (a dimension included in need for closure), and the years of practice were significant predictors of perceived work-related stress. Findings from the present study have some implications for medical education. Given the great impact that the individual ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty has on the physicians’ level of perceived work-related stress, it would be worth paying particular attention to such a skill in medical education settings. It would be crucial to introduce or to empower educational tools and strategies that could increase medical students’ ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty.Abbreviations: JSQ: Job stress questionnaire; NFCS: Need for cognitive closure scale; PRU: Physicians’ reactions to uncertainty; TFA: Tolerance for ambiguity

Highlights

Beliefs about the absolute certainty and truth of medical knowledge have been found to be quite common among laypeople [1], and among medical students [2]
Some studies [17,18] suggested that different levels of tolerance for ambiguity could be considered as a predictor for the future specialty choice among medical students
Literature is quite relevant and rich [11] if we focus on the conceptual and theoretical issues associated with ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance, whereas little empirical research has been conducted on this topic

Summary

Introduction

Beliefs about the absolute certainty and truth of medical knowledge have been found to be quite common among laypeople [1], and among medical students [2]. Since uncertainty and ambiguity are pervasive in medical practice, physicians are constantly called to exercise judgment and decisions in ill-defined contexts and situations [6,7]. This situational uncertainty requires physicians the ability to properly react to it [8]. A number of studies found some correlations between physicians’ individual ability to tolerate ambiguity and their level of psychological well-being. Some studies [17,18] suggested that different levels of tolerance for ambiguity could be considered as a predictor for the future specialty choice among medical students.

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