TY - JOUR
T1 - Intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation
T2 - A meta-analytic and systematic review
AU - Sahib, A.
AU - Chen, J.
AU - Cárdenas, D.
AU - Calear, A. L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/4
Y1 - 2023/4
N2 - Intolerance of uncertainty, a transdiagnostic factor manifested across emotional disorders, has been associated with difficulties in regulating emotions. This meta-analysis addresses the lack of synthesis of this relationship. PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest were systematically searched for relevant articles published up to and during November 2022. We combined 161 effect sizes from 91 studies (N = 30,239), separating the analysis into maladaptive and adaptive emotion regulation strategies and their association with intolerance of uncertainty. We found a moderate positive relationship between maladaptive, and a moderate inverse relationship between adaptive emotion regulation and intolerance of uncertainty. Analysing the magnitude of relationships revealed that cognitive avoidance and mindfulness were the maladaptive and adaptive strategies respectively which had the largest effect sizes and thus strongest relationships with intolerance of uncertainty. Combining all strategies, cognitive avoidance remained the largest effect size, while expressive suppression had the smallest effect size and was non-significant in its relationship. Further analyses testing study sample, design, and age as moderators found no significant moderator for the relationships between intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation strategies. These findings have implications for future intolerance of uncertainty interventions, with emotion regulation as a potential target of change.
AB - Intolerance of uncertainty, a transdiagnostic factor manifested across emotional disorders, has been associated with difficulties in regulating emotions. This meta-analysis addresses the lack of synthesis of this relationship. PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest were systematically searched for relevant articles published up to and during November 2022. We combined 161 effect sizes from 91 studies (N = 30,239), separating the analysis into maladaptive and adaptive emotion regulation strategies and their association with intolerance of uncertainty. We found a moderate positive relationship between maladaptive, and a moderate inverse relationship between adaptive emotion regulation and intolerance of uncertainty. Analysing the magnitude of relationships revealed that cognitive avoidance and mindfulness were the maladaptive and adaptive strategies respectively which had the largest effect sizes and thus strongest relationships with intolerance of uncertainty. Combining all strategies, cognitive avoidance remained the largest effect size, while expressive suppression had the smallest effect size and was non-significant in its relationship. Further analyses testing study sample, design, and age as moderators found no significant moderator for the relationships between intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation strategies. These findings have implications for future intolerance of uncertainty interventions, with emotion regulation as a potential target of change.
KW - Emotion regulation
KW - Intolerance of uncertainty
KW - Meta-analysis
KW - Systematic review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150823645&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102270
DO - 10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102270
M3 - Article
SN - 0272-7358
VL - 101
JO - Clinical Psychology Review
JF - Clinical Psychology Review
M1 - 102270
ER -