A Transdiagnostic Group Intervention Focusing on Intolerance to Uncertainty

Gioia Bottesi, Sara Anastasia Contin, Anna Panzeri, Eleonora Carraro, Sara Bianconi, Marta Ghisi

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a vulnerability factor for several psychological disorders and may be an important target for transdiagnostic interventions (Shihata et al., 2016). The current pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural group intervention delivered to 7 university students. These students reported difficulties tolerating uncertainty aside from the presence of a psychological disorder and type of disorder. A single-case experimental design in 3 phases (baseline, 8-week intervention, 8-week follow-up) had as primary outcome an ad-hoc daily self-monitoring questionnaire. The secondary outcomes were scores on the self-report questionnaires Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21, which were administered at baseline, end of intervention and follow-up. Overall, perceived uncertainty and associated distress decreased - especially between intervention and follow-up; conversely, confidence in the ability to manage uncertainty increased across the three phases. Scores on self-report questionnaires showed a progressive decrease in IU and general distress. Although only preliminarily, these findings support the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic group intervention focused on IU in university students. However, it would be highly recommendable to conduct randomized control trials to provide stronger and more generalizable evidence.

DOI 
10.14605/PCC2912302

Keywords
Intolerance of uncertainty, Cognitive-behavioural therapy, Transdiagnostic intervention, Undergraduates, Single-case experimental design.

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