I doubt it is safe: A meta-analysis of self-reported intolerance of uncertainty and threat extinction training

10.31234/osf.io/nrqv6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jayne Morriss ◽

Shannon Jade Wake ◽

Charlotte Elizabeth ◽

Carien M. van Reekum

Keyword(s):

Trait Anxiety ◽

Skin Conductance ◽

Skin Conductance Response ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Extinction Training ◽

The Self ◽

Target Uncertainty ◽

Health Disorders

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), the tendency to find uncertainty distressing, is an important transdiagnostic dimension in mental health disorders. Higher self-reported IU has been linked to poorer threat extinction training (i.e., the updating of threat to safe associations), a key process that is targeted in exposure-based therapies. However, it remains to be seen whether IU-related effects during threat extinction training are reliably and specifically driven by the IU construct or a particular subcomponent of the IU construct over other self-reported measures of anxiety. A meta-analysis of studies from different laboratories (experiment n = 18; sample n = 1006) was conducted on associations between different variants of self-reported IU (i.e., 27-item, 12-item, inhibitory and prospective subscales), trait anxiety and threat extinction training via skin conductance response. The specificity of IU and threat extinction training was assessed against measures of trait anxiety. All of the self-reported variants of IU, but not trait anxiety, were associated with threat extinction training via skin conductance response (i.e., continued responding to the old threat cue). Specificity was observed for the majority of self-reported variants of IU over of trait anxiety. The findings suggest that the IU construct broadly accounts for difficulties in threat extinction training and is specific over other measures of self-reported anxiety. These findings demonstrate the robustness and specificity of IU-related effects during threat extinction training and highlight potential opportunities for translational work to target uncertainty in therapies that rely on threat extinction principles such as exposure therapy.

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The role of intolerance of uncertainty in the acquisition and extinction of reward

10.1101/2020.05.18.101212 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jayne Morriss ◽

Nicolo Biagi ◽

Tina B. Lonsdorf ◽

Marta Andreatta

Keyword(s):

Associative Learning ◽

Conceptual Understanding ◽

Skin Conductance Response ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Acquisition Training ◽

Learning Task ◽

Partial Reward ◽

Extinction Training ◽

Corrugator Supercilii

AbstractIndividuals, who score high in self-reported intolerance of uncertainty (IU), tend to find uncertainty anxiety-provoking. IU has been reliably associated with disrupted threat extinction. However, it remains unclear whether IU would be related to disrupted extinction to other arousing stimuli that are not threatening (i.e., rewarding). We addressed this question by conducting a reward associative learning task with acquisition and extinction training phases (n = 58). Throughout the associative learning task, we recorded valence ratings (i.e. liking), skin conductance response (SCR) (i.e. sweating), and corrugator supercilii activity (i.e. brow muscle indicative or negative and positive affect) to learned reward and neutral cues. During acquisition training with partial reward reinforcement, higher IU was associated with greater corrugator supercilii activity to neutral compared to reward cues. IU was not related to valence ratings or SCR’s during the acquisition or extinction training phases. These preliminary results suggest that IU-related deficits during extinction may be limited to situations with threat. The findings further our conceptual understanding of IU’s role in the associative learning and extinction of reward, and in relation to the processing of threat and reward more generally.

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Effects of intolerance of uncertainty on subjective and psychophysiological measures during fear acquisition and delayed extinction

10.31234/osf.io/hj5gt ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Maren Klingelhöfer-Jens ◽

Jayne Morriss ◽

Tina B Lonsdorf

Keyword(s):

Fear Conditioning ◽

Skin Conductance ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Acquisition Training ◽

Extinction Training ◽

Future Directions ◽

Psychophysiological Measures ◽

Learned Fear ◽

Startle Blink

Individuals who score high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) tend to find uncertainty unacceptable and aversive. In recent years, research has shed light on the role of IU in modulating subjective (i.e. expectancy ratings) and psychophysiological responses (i.e. skin conductance) across different classical fear conditioning procedures, particularly that of immediate extinction. However, there remain gaps in understanding how IU, in comparison to other negative emotionality traits (STAI-T), impact different types of subjective and psychophysiological measures during different classical fear conditioning procedures. Here, we analyzed IU, STAI-T, subjective (i.e. fear ratings) and psychophysiological (i.e. skin conductance, auditory startle blink) data recorded during fear acquisition training and 24h-delayed extinction training (n = 66). Higher IU, over STAI-T, was: (1) significantly associated with greater fear ratings to the learned fear cue during fear acquisition training, and (2) at trend associated with greater fear ratings to the learned fear versus safe cue during delayed extinction training. Both IU and STAI-T were not related to skin conductance or auditory startle blink during fear acquisition training and delayed extinction training. These results add to and extend our current understanding of the role of IU on subjective and physiological measures during different fear conditioning procedures, particularly that of delayed extinction training. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.

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Are emotional regulation and extinction training the same in the brain?: a meta-analysis of fMRI studies

10.26226/morressier.5b681765b56e9b005965c2e5 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

María Alemany Navarro ◽

Maria Picó Pérez

Keyword(s):

Emotional Regulation ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Extinction Training ◽

The Brain

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The relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in autism: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361320932437 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (8) ◽

pp. 1933-1944 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Richard Jenkinson ◽

Elizabeth Milne ◽

Andrew Thompson

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Effective Interventions ◽

Limited Effectiveness ◽

Autistic People ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Weighted Effect Size ◽

Weighted Effect ◽

Meta Analyses

The association between intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety has proved robust in neurotypical populations and has led to effective interventions targeting intolerance of uncertainty. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate this association in autistic people, given the high prevalence of anxiety in this population and the limited effectiveness of therapies used currently to treat anxiety in autism. A protocol was published on the Prospero database (CRD42019125315), and electronic databases were searched using terms related to intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety and autism. Included in the systematic review were 12 studies, of which 10 were included in a meta-analysis. Results showed that anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty were consistently elevated in autistic participants. Examining the correlation between these two constructs, the meta-analysis revealed a large sample-weighted effect size, r = 0.62, 95% confidence interval = [0.52, 0.71], p < 0.001. The strength of this association was comparable to meta-analyses conducted on neurotypical populations, and therefore, it was concluded intolerance of uncertainty may be an appropriate target for intervention for autistic individuals. However, conclusions were limited due to the small number of relevant studies that were available and due to issues with methodological quality. Lay abstract People who find it especially hard to cope with the unexpected or unknown are said to have an intolerance of uncertainty. Autistic individuals often report a preference for certainty and experience levels of anxiety that can interfere with their daily life. Understanding more about the link between the intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in autistic people might lead to better treatments for anxiety being developed. Therefore, this work aimed to review previous research in order to explore this link. Twelve studies were found and their results were compared and contrasted. The autistic people who participated in the studies completed questionnaires that suggested a large number of them experienced very high levels of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty. Of 10 studies that used relevant statistics, nine found a statistically significant link between anxiety and the intolerance of uncertainty. In general, the strength of the link was about the same as previous research found in people who did not have a diagnosis of autism. This might mean that interventions that aim to help people who are intolerant of uncertainty could be effective for autistic individuals.

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An examination of intolerance of uncertainty effects on subjective, psychophysiological, and neural markers during uninstructed and instructed threat acquisition and extinction training

10.31234/osf.io/bnw53 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Julia Wendt ◽

Jayne Morriss

Keyword(s):

Skin Conductance ◽

Skin Conductance Response ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Extinction Training ◽

Fmri Data ◽

Future Research ◽

Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Tentative Evidence

Individuals who score high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) tend to find uncertainty aversive. Prior research has demonstrated that under uncertainty individuals with high IU display difficulties in updating learned threat associations to safety associations. Importantly, recent research has shown that providing contingency instructions about threat and safety contingencies (i.e. reducing uncertainty) to individuals with high IU promotes the updating of learned threat associations to safety associations. Here we aimed to conceptually replicate IU and contingency instruction-based effects by conducting a secondary analysis of self-reported IU, ratings, skin conductance, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data recorded during uninstructed/instructed blocks of threat acquisition and threat extinction training (n = 48). Self-reported IU was not associated with differential responding to learned threat and safety cues for any measure during uninstructed/instructed blocks of threat acquisition and threat extinction training. There was some tentative evidence that higher IU was associated with greater ratings of unpleasantness and arousal to the safety cue after the experiment and greater skin conductance response to the safety cue during extinction generally. Potential explanations for these null effects and directions for future research are discussed.

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