The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children: A psychometric evaluation
Document Type
Article
Keywords
intolerance of uncertainty, child, anxiety, worry, anxiety disorders
Disciplines
Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has contributed to our understanding of excessive worry and adult anxiety disorders, but there is a paucity of research on IU in child samples. This gap is due to the absence of a psychometrically sound measure of IU in youth. The present study adapted parallel child- and parent-report forms of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS) and examined the internal consistency, convergent validity, and classification properties of these forms in youth aged 7–17 (M=11.6 years, SD=2.6). Participating youth (N=197; 100 girls, 97 boys) either met diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder (n=73) or were nonreferred community participants (n=124). The child-report form (i.e., IUS for Children, orIUSC), and to a lesser extent the parent-report form, demonstrated strong internal consistency and convergentvalidity, evidenced by significant associations with anxiety and worry (and reassurance-seeking in the case ofthe child-report form). Children diagnosed with anxiety disorders scored higher than nonreferred communityyouth on both forms. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated acceptable overall utility in distinguishing the 2 groups of youth. Findings provide preliminary support for use of the IUSC for continuous measurement of children’s ability to tolerate uncertainty.
Article Number
1261
Publication Date
2009
Recommended Citation
Comer, J.S., Roy, A.K., Furr, J.M., Gotimer, K., Beidas, R.S., Dugas, M.J., & Kendall, P.C. (2009). The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children: A psychometric evaluation. Psychological Assessment, 21, 402- 411.
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