Tolerance For Uncertainty Research Articles

Tolerance of uncertainty as a determinant of educators' psychological health in conditions of social tension

Introduction. Social instability increases the importance of tolerance of uncertainty among representatives of different social and professional groups. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators' tolerance of uncertainty as a probable determinant of their psychological health is of particular interest for researchers. Aim: to study tolerance of uncertainty as a determinant of educational staff's psychological health in conditions of social tension. Methods: D. McLain's MSTAT-II (adapted by E.M. Osin), T. Galkina & N. Artemtseva's Attitude to Psychological Health Scale, Scale of Positive Mental Health by J. Lukat et al., and Locus of Health Control questionnaire. Results. It was found that the most pronounced components of tolerance of uncertainty were the attitude to novelty and preference of uncertainty. Uncertainty tolerance components affected most aspects of educators' psychological health. Conclusion. Tolerance of uncertainty should be seen as a determinant of educators' psychological health.

Understanding health anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be one of the greatest public health challenges faced by the UK. Reported rates of psychiatric difficulties have increased and the mechanisms by which the pandemic has affected mental health requires investigation. The aim of the study was to understand the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health anxiety in the general population, with a focus on Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, which provides specialist mental health care within Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. We invited participants aged 18+ across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire to complete an online questionnaire consisting of standardised questionnaires measuring psychological wellbeing, non-standardised questions to provide demographic information, and information about social circumstances and behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were then invited via email to complete a 3-month follow-up questionnaire. About 324 participants completed the baseline survey while 199 completed the follow-up. Our analysis demonstrated that higher scores on a health anxiety inventory were related to reports of depression, anxiety, loneliness, poor quality of life and obsessive-compulsive symptoms and panic. We also identified several predictors of health anxiety such as being female, having a pre-existing physical or mental health condition, and poor tolerance of uncertainty. Lifestyle and demographic factors such as changes in financial situation, changes in employment status, having a close relative or friend with COVID-19, being able to do grocery shopping, being a key worker, and ethnicity were not found to predict health anxiety. Awareness of the impact of health anxiety on people needs to be consistently high among healthcare professionals, especially in the continuing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The relationship between health anxiety and fatigue, sleep quality, gender and co-morbid mental and physical health difficulties needs to be investigated further to determine areas of intervention.

Confidence in case formulation and pluralism as predictors of psychologists’ tolerance of uncertainty

ABSTRACT The role of a practicing psychologist often involves uncertainty and ambiguity, and individuals differ in their ability to manage or “tolerate” this uncertainty. This study investigated the relationship between tolerance of uncertainty, pluralism and confidence in case formulation in a sample of Australian psychologists. The sample consisted of 190 Australian psychologists, aged between 22 and 69 years (M = 30.48, SD = 8.04) and comprising mostly females (77.9%). This study had a cross-sectional survey design in which participants completed measures of uncertainty tolerance, pluralism and confidence in case formulation. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to predict tolerance to uncertainty. The final regression model was significant and explained 39.1% of the variance in tolerance of uncertainty. The predictor variables that contributed significantly to the model were therapeutic orientation, age, pluralistic practice and confidence in case formulation. Stage of career and pluralistic philosophy did not contribute significantly to the model. Higher pluralistic practice and confidence in case formulation skills are related to higher tolerance of uncertainty. Training in pluralistic models of therapy and the hypothesis generation approach to case formulation may offer the potential to increase uncertainty tolerance in practicing psychologists.

Psychological predictors of advanced cancer patients' preferences for return of results from comprehensive tumor genomic profiling.

This study assessed the psychological predictors of preferences for return of comprehensive tumor genomic profiling (CTGP) results in patients with advanced cancers, enrolled in the Molecular Screening and Therapeutics Program. Patients completed a questionnaire prior to undergoing CTGP. Of the 1434 who completed a questionnaire, 96% would like to receive results that can guide treatment for their cancer, and preference for receiving this type of result was associated with lower tolerance of uncertainty. Sixty-four percent would like to receive results that cannot guide treatment, and lower tolerance of uncertainty, self-efficacy, and perceived importance were associated with this preference. Fifty-nine percent would like to receive variants of unknown significance, which was associated with lower tolerance of uncertainty, higher self-efficacy, and perceived importance. Eighty-six percent wanted to receive germline results that could inform family risk. This was associated with higher self-efficacy, perceived importance, and perceived susceptibility. Although most patients wanted to receive all types of results, given the differing patient preferences regarding the return of results depending on the utility of the different types of results, it appears critical to safeguard patient understanding of result utility to achieve informed patient choices. This should be accompanied by appropriate consent processes.

Teaching Simple Strategies to Foster Emotional Well-Being.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented considerable disruptions to routines that have challenged emotional well-being for children and their caregivers. One direction for supporting emotional well-being includes strategies that help children feel their best in the moment, which can bolster their capacity to respond appropriately to thoughts and behaviors. Strengthening emotional well-being equitably, however, must include opportunities in settings that are easily accessible to all, such as schools. In this paper, we focus on simple, evidence-informed strategies that can be used in schools to promote positive feelings in the moment and build coping behaviors that facilitate tolerance of uncertainty. We focus on those strategies that educators can easily and routinely use across ages, stages, and activities. Selected strategies are primarily tied to cognitive behavioral theory, with our review broadly organized across categories of self-awareness, self-soothing, and social relationships. We review evidence for each, providing examples that illustrate ease of use in school settings.

Creativity, change readiness and uncertainty tolerance in law enforcement officers

Change readiness is an important precondition for human activity and a component of the overall professional readiness. At the same time, an important component of a police officer’s personality is his/her creativity, which allows him/her to make decisions successfully and effectively in the changing and uncertain conditions of law enforcement services. The research aimed at establishing the correlation between the resilience of law enforcement officers to perform duties in unforeseen circumstances and their ability to be creative in this activity. The paper empirically examines the level of manifestation and correlation of creativity, change readiness and uncertainty tolerance in law enforcement officers. The study involved a set of diagnostic techniques for assessing the level of creativity, change readiness and uncertainty tolerance. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data processing were used. Strong correlations between indicators of creativity, change readiness and uncertainty tolerance were found in law enforcement officers. The prospect of further research is to clarify the correlation between creative solutions to occupational situations, change readiness and resilience, as well as other personal characteristics of law enforcement officers. This will help to outline a more holistic portrait of law enforcement officers and make their training more effective.

“Get the DNR”: residents’ perceptions of goals of care conversations before and after an e-learning module

BackgroundResidents frequently lead goals of care (GoC) conversations with patients and families to explore patient values and preferences and to establish patient-centered care plans. However, previous work has shown that the hidden curriculum may promote physician-driven agendas and poor communication in these discussions. We previously developed an online learning (e-learning) module that teaches a patient-centered approach to GoC conversations. We sought to explore residents’ experiences and how the module might counteract the impact of the hidden curriculum on residents’ perceptions and approaches to GoC conversations.MethodsEleven first-year internal medicine residents from the University of Toronto underwent semi-structured interviews before and after completing the module. Themes were identified using principles of constructivist grounded theory.ResultsPrior to module completion, residents described institutional and hierarchical pressures to “get the DNR” (Do-Not-Resuscitate), leading to physician-centered GoC conversations focused on code status, documentation, and efficiency. Tensions between formal and hidden curricula led to emotional dissonance and distress. However, after module completion, residents described new patient-centered conceptualizations and approaches to GoC conversations, feeling empowered to challenge physician-driven agendas. This shift was driven by greater alignment of the new approach with their internalized ethical values, greater tolerance of uncertainty and complexity in GoC decisions, and improved clinical encounters in practice.ConclusionAn e-learning module focused on teaching an evidence-based, patient-centered approach to GoC conversations appeared to promote a shift in residents’ perspectives and approaches that may indirectly mitigate the influence of the hidden curriculum, with the potential to improve quality of communication and care.

The Psychological Profile of Tunisian SMEs Founders Amid the COVID-19 Crisis

The purpose of this paper is to determine the psychological profile of the Tunisian SMEs founder amid the COVID-19 crisis. The results of this research demonstrated that their psychological profile in times of COVID-19 crisis is quadridimensional and that each of these four dimensions (tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty, attitude towards risk, self-confidence and locus of control) are unidimensional. This research was conducted in three Tunisian industries (textiles and clothing industries, agro-food industries and industries of ceramic and glass building materials) via the administration of a questionnaire via LinkedIn (between March, 15 and May, 15 2020) to more than 400 SMEs’ founders. The critical contributions of this research are the clarification of the role of psychological factors in the field of entrepreneurship, which remains unclear, by enriching previous research on entrepreneurial personality. The main findings of this study: (1) the four key psychological traits correspond to the “specific traits” of an entrepreneur; (2) these “specific traits” are more suitable to study the profile of the SME’s founder profile at the time of crisis than the more “stable traits” — the Big Five traits; (3) the psychological profile of the SME’s founder in a hyper-turbulent environment (namely the COVID-19 crisis) correspond to the psychological entrepreneurial profile.

Relationship between emotional sphere, tolerance of uncertainty and productive decision-making strategies

Tolerance for uncertainty is a component of intellectual-personal potential and mediates the decision-making process (DM). The state of Art demonstrates that tolerance of uncertainty contributes to effective and productive decision-making and associated with the constructs that reveal the emotional sphere of a person. The theory of dynamic regulative systems predicts that in the decision-making process, both cognitive and emotional-personal components (tolerance of uncertainty, emotional creativity, and emotional experience of threats from uncertainty) can reach the upper levels of the hierarchy. The role of tolerance for uncertainty in the decision-making processes is relatively well known, however the contribution of the emotional sphere to the problem-solving processes, as well as its relationship with tolerance of uncertainty, is not sufficiently studied. The aim of the study was to establish correlations between emotional creativity and tolerance for uncertainty and productive decision-making strategies. Hypotheses: positive correlation between emotional creativity tolerance of uncertainty productive decision-making strategies was expected. As a result, positive relationship between emotional creativity and tolerance of uncertainty was revealed. It is shown that emotional creativity can be involved in decision-making processes in two ways: to help overcome uncertainty and increase the effectiveness of problem solving, or to lead to difficulties in overcoming interpersonal intolerance of uncertainty, due to a decrease in components of self-control and control of emotional expression. Taken together, the results demonstrate the inclusion of uncertainty tolerance in the emotional sphere of the person, and show the involvement of these components in the DM processes.

Collaborer avec les familles des jeunes adultes lors d’un premier épisode psychotique : psychoéducation ou dialogue réflexif ?

Early intervention programs for young adults with a first psychotic épisode value and promote collaboration with families. This collaboration is justified in particular by the influence of family tensions on relapse and the importance of redefining ties at this stage of life. However, the implementation of interventions for families remains complex and there are often differences between displayed will and effective practices. Early intervention programs around the world often favor a psychoeducational approach with families. However, an alternative practice with young adults developed in Finnish psychiatry under the name of “open dialogue” involves a discussion about the process of care during family sessions with the aim of improving it. The purpose of this article is to present these two common forms of intervention that differ in how collaboration is implemented. On one hand, we present a psychoeducational approach that is widely developed in the Anglo-Saxon world. In order to illustrate the actual implementation of this practice we present the behavioural family therapy approach of Ian Falloon, a New Zealand psychiatrist and psychotherapist. This approach is based on a neurodevelopmental model of psychotic disorders and has the overall aim of transforming strong destructive expressed emotions into more nuanced and supportive ones. It also aims to teach family members some basic care skills and rehabilitation strategies. On the other hand, we present approaches adopting a more reflexive position (i.e. “Open Dialogue”) that have been successfully developed in Finnish psychiatry in particular by Jakko Seikkulla, a psychologist and psychotherapist. Concretely, it is a networking practice which brings together the necessary conditions for a dialogue to take place between the different partners. Thus, with the term “open dialogue”, these authors are following a practice of “treatment adapted to needs” which aims to rely as much as possible on the resources of the patient and his network. This practice of “open dialogue” is characterised by three central principles named (1) tolerance of uncertainty, (2) dialogism and (3) polyphony of the social network. Our article discusses these approaches, underlining both their differences and their similarities. Among their differences we note in particular the representation of psychotic disorders as the manifestations of a neurodevelopmental disease to be central in psychoeducational approach; in contrast in open dialogue the diagnosis is not considered as a prerequisite for the prescription of the most suitable drug treatment and for complementary psychosocial interventions. Among their similarities, we note, that both approaches show a centrality of a intervention on young adult autonomisation, the importance of constructing a good alliance with families, an interest in changing the way they communicate.

Predictive Environmental Microbiology for Safe Use of Sanitation Products in Agriculture: Challenges and Perspectives

Human excreta is a local resource of plant nutrients. The recovery of resources from human excreta and the use of excreta-derived organic fertilizer (sanitation products) for agriculture are compatible with the principle of the Circular Economy. Infectious disease risk associated with resource recovery activities is reduced by following the practices recommended in the guidelines for safe use of sanitation products. This study briefly reviews the domestic and international regulations and specifies the need for developing predictive environmental microbiology. Predictive environmental microbiology is a methodology that aims to predict the rate of inactivation of pathogens in sanitation products using mathematical models. We address the main challenges in applying modeling approaches to sanitization of human excreta matrices, specifically incorporating the heterogeneous nature of matrices and technology-specific factors into the kinetics parameters. In addition, the uncertainty in viral tolerance stems from the genetic nature of viral populations and should be considered in a model of inactivation kinetics for viral indicators. We emphasize the need for a fundamental understanding of pathogen adaptation mechanisms in developing a disinfection method for sanitation products. Disclosing a genetic/phenotypic factor underlying disinfection resistance and the consequent modification of model kinetics will lead to effective sanitization strategies against enteric viruses with varied tolerance.

Investigating tolerance of uncertainty, COVID-19 concern, and compliance with recommended behavior in four countries: The moderating role of mindfulness, trust in scientists, and power distance

Consumers' compliance with recommended behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic helps contain the spread of the virus and positively impacts marketplace outcomes. This study investigates the effect of consumers' tolerance of uncertainty on COVID-19 concern, compliance with recommended behavior, and panic buying intentions, across four countries (Germany and USA with a low power distance index; India and The Philippines with a high power distance index; N = 1272). We test the moderating role of power distance, mindfulness, and trust in scientists, among these relationships. Our results show that tolerance of uncertainty is negatively associated with COVID-19 concern, and COVID-19 concern is positively associated with compliance and panic buying intentions. In high power distance countries, tolerance of uncertainty is negatively associated with compliance. The negative association of tolerance of uncertainty with COVID-19 concern is more pronounced at low levels of mindfulness, and consumers with high COVID-19 concern and high trust in scientists demonstrated the highest compliance. Our findings reveal that stressing the importance of mindfulness, though positive overall, might not yield more compliance. Interventions to make consumers more concerned about the consequences of the pandemic and, at the same time, enhancing their trust in scientists, can lead to higher levels of compliance.

INTEGRATING CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES ‒ NECESSARY ACTION TO INCREASE EFFECTIVENESS OF MILITARY ACTIONS

In the increasingly uncertain future conditions, because the lost time cannot be recovered, the only one within reach remains the future. Thus, defence planning is about planning for an uncertain future, about reducing the level of uncertainty, or about increasing the level of tolerance for uncertainty. Therefore, we consider that it is time to move on to prospective planning, to the management components reprioritization, with an emphasis on foresight, especially as we observe the security environment new specifics, in order to choose, develop and maintain those capabilities to meet current and future challenges. In this article we will analyze all these aspects, in an attempt to highlight the fact that the efficient integration of those elements, which lead to obtaining and maintaining optimal capabilities, must represent a synergistic action in order to increase the effectiveness of military actions.

Attitudes toward risk among emergency physicians and advanced practice clinicians in Massachusetts.

ObjectiveRisk aversion is a personality trait influential to decision making in medicine. Little is known about how emergency department (ED) clinicians differ in their attitudes toward risk taking.MethodsWe conducted a cross‐sectional survey of practicing ED clinicians (physicians and advanced practice clinicians [APCs]) in Massachusetts using the following 4 existing validated scales: the Risk‐Taking Scale (RTS), Stress from Uncertainty Scale (SUS), the Fear of Malpractice Scale (FMS), and the Need for (Cognitive) Closure Scale (NCC). We used Cronbach's α to assess the reliability of each scale and performed multivariable linear regressions to analyze the association between the score for each scale and clinician characteristics.ResultsOf 1458 ED clinicians recruited for participation, 1116 (76.5%) responded from 93% of acute care hospitals in Massachusetts. Each of the 4 scales demonstrated high internal consistency reliability with Cronbach's αs ranging from 0.76 to 0.92. The 4 scales also were moderately correlated with one another (0.08 to 0.54; all P < 0.05). The multivariable results demonstrated differences between physicians and APCs, with physicians showing a greater tolerance for risk or uncertainty (NCC difference, −3.58 [95% confidence interval, CI, −5.26 to −1.90]; SUS difference, −3.14 [95% CI: −4.99 to −1.29]) and a higher concern about malpractice (FMS difference, 1.14 [95% CI, 0.11–2.17]). Differences were also observed based on clinician age (a proxy for years of experience), with greater age associated with greater tolerance of risk or uncertainty (age older than 50 years compared with age 35 years and younger; NCC difference, −2.84 [95% CI, −4.69 to −1.00]; SUS difference, −4.71 [95% CI, −6,74 to −2.68]) and less concern about malpractice (FMS difference, −3.19 [95% CI, −4.31 to −2.06]). There were no appreciable differences based on sex, and there were no consistent associations between scale scores and the practice and payment characteristics assessed.ConclusionWe found that risk attitudes of ED clinicians were associated with type of training (physician vs APC) and age (experience). These differences suggest one possible explanation for the observed differences in decision making.

Comprehensive study of the readiness for change and tolerance for uncertainty in police officers of Rapid Response Corps with different levels of resilience

A comprehensive analysis of "readiness for change" and "tolerance for uncertainty" phenomena in the field of psychological science is presented. Theoretical investigations have shown that the outlined concepts have been widely considered in the works of domestic and foreign scientists. The aim of the work was to empirically study of the readiness for change in the relationship with the components of tolerance for uncertainty in police officers of the special police units with different levels of resilience.&#x0D; The following psychodiagnostic tools were used in the study: "Resilience test" (O. Rylska), "Personal readiness for change" (Rolnik, Heather, Gold, Hull in adaptation by N. Bazhanova and G. Bardier), "Questionnaire of tolerance to uncertainty" (C Badner in adaptation by G. Soldatova), "Scale of general tolerance to uncertainty" (D. McLain in adaptation by E. Osin) and "New questionnaire of tolerance to uncertainty" (T. Kornilova). For mathematical and statistical processing, cluster analysis using the method of k-means on the principle of "close neighbors" and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were used. The sample consisted of 84 police officers of the Rapid Response Corps (KORD). With the use of the test for measuring the level of resilience, the author of which is O. Rylska, and with the help of cluster analysis by the method of k-means on the principle of " close neighbors", groups with different levels of resilience were formed. The first group (with a high level) consisted of 28 subjects, the second group (with a low level) included 24 subjects. 32 respondents with an average level of the indicator were excluded from further research. During the study, significant relationships were found between the mentioned phenomena in the police groups studied. The results showed that special forces with a high level of resilience are able to act effectively in conditions of uncertainty, accept changes and bring them into professional activity.&#x0D; They are psychologically stable, enterprising, responsible and prone to perceive problems as a stimulus to development. Special forces with a low level of resilience have a harder time withstanding difficulties at work, because they feel discomfort in situations that they cannot control, which significantly reduces their effectiveness. However, the actions of the police of the second group are clearer, consistent and thoughtful.

A qualitative fallacy: Life trapped in interpretations and stories

This paper points out some problematic aspects of qualitative research based on interviews and uses examples from mental health. The narrative approach is explored while inquiring if the reality of life here is forced into the formula of a chronological story. The hermeneutic approach, in general, is also examined, and we ask if the reality of life in this scenario becomes caught up in a web of interpretations. Inspired by ideas from Bakhtin and phenomenology, we argue for interview-based research that stays with unresolvedness and constantly question the web of interpretations and narratives that determine our experiences. This also chimes with certain dialogical practices in mental health in which tolerance of uncertainty is the guiding principle. Concludingly, we suggest that interview-based research could be a practice of ‘un-resolving’ in which researchers, together with the participants, look for cracks, contradictions, and complexities to prevent the qualitative fallacies of well-organized meanings and well-composed stories.

Effects of Coronavirus-19 Induced Loneliness on Mental Health: Sleep Quality and Intolerance for Uncertainty as Mediators.

Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate effects of loneliness on individual's mental health and the mediating effects of intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality in the post Coronavirus-19 period, especially for the young people.Methods: The questionnaires used in this study include UCLA loneliness scale (UCLA-3), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), intolerance for uncertainty (IU) and the Chinese version of DASS-21. A total number of 289 subjects were recruited in the study, which includes 209 females (72.3%), 80 males (27.7%); and 212 students (73.4%), 77 working staffs (26.6%).Results: The results showed that: (1) people have high levels of loneliness, anxiety, depression and stress, and poor sleep quality; (2) the mediating effect of intolerance for uncertainty in the relationship of loneliness and mental health is significant (effect size = 0.178, 95% CI confidence interval: [0.115, 0.241]), and the mediating effects of sleep quality in the relationship between loneliness and mental health is significant (effect size = 0.127, 95% CI confidence interval: [0.017, 0.239]).Conclusion: Loneliness invokes a stronger self-concerned inadaptability to threat response and may lead to more mental diseases through more serious intolerance for uncertainty and insomnia.

Creativity and uncertainty tolerance as a resource for the psychological well-being of an individual

The objective of the work was to establish the features of creativity and uncertainty tolerance in people with different levels of psychological well-being. An empirical study of the level of manifestation of psychological well-being of the studied group and the relationship between the components of creativity and tolerance for uncertainty was conducted. The study was conducted using a set of psychological techniques aimed at determining the level of psychological well-being, uncertainty tolerance, creativity and their components. Qualitative methods of data processing are used. The study found that people with high levels of psychological well-being have close relationships between the indicators of the components of psychological well-being, creativity and uncertainty tolerance. Instead, these relationships are significantly fewer among people with low levels of psychological well-being.

The roles of spiritual well-being and tolerance of uncertainty in prediction of happiness in elderly

The roles of spiritual well-being and tolerance of uncertainty in prediction of happiness in elderly

A longitudinal study of trainee psychologists’ tolerance of uncertainty, state anxiety and confidence in case formulation

ABSTRACT Objective The capacity of healthcare professionals to tolerate uncertainty is of increasing research interest since it may reduce anxiety associated with managing complex health problems. Psychologists experience a high degree of uncertainty in their role. This longitudinal study examines changes in tolerance of uncertainty and confidence in case formulation among provisional psychologists as they progress through the early stages of training. Methods: Participants were 88 trainee psychologists from three postgraduate programs who completed surveys over three time points. In addition to measures of tolerance of uncertainty and confidence in case formulation the surveys included exposure to an ambiguous client vignette followed by a measure of state anxiety. Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated significant increases in confidence in case formulation and confidence in response to the vignette over time. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated that state anxiety at time 2 was predicted by changes in tolerance of uncertainty in client care when time 1 state anxiety was controlled. The final model accounted for 31.2% of variance in participants responses. Conclusion: There is a need to better understand the educational and training activities that facilitate changes in confidence and uncertainty tolerance so they might be more effectively integrated into training programs. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: As with healthcare fields more broadly, working as a psychologist involves a high degree of uncertainty. Postgraduate psychology curriculum does not include tolerance or management of uncertainty as a specific learning competency however indirectly provides strategies that promote uncertainty tolerance. Studies on medical trainees have reported that managing uncertainty becomes easier over time. No studies have examined changes in trainee psychologist’s ability to tolerate uncertainty as they progress through their training. What this topic adds: Confidence in case formulation increases over the early stages of postgraduate psychology training. Participant’s anxiety when responding to an ambiguous vignette at time two was predicted by changes in tolerance of uncertainty in client care, even when time one state anxiety was controlled. There is a need to better understand the educational and training activities that facilitate uncertainty tolerance and confidence in case formulation, so they might be more effectively integrated into training programmes.