Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40066910›Full record

ArticleThe British journal of clinical psychology2025

Intolerance of uncertainty causally affects indecisiveness.

Helmut Appel, Alexander L Gerlach

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The British journal of clinical psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Intolerance of uncertainty causally affects indecisiveness.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Helmut AppelInstitute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4233-6090
Alexander L GerlachInstitute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6794-5349

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesIntolerance of uncertainty (IU) is characterized by a pervasive negative reaction to uncertainty. It is a transdiagnostic risk factor for various mental disorders. Since decisions often need to be made in the face of uncertainty, IU is associated with indecisiveness, a dispositional difficulty in making decisions. Indecisiveness is also linked to a range of mental disorders. While IU is seen as a causal factor in indecisiveness, experimental studies on this assumption are lacking.

methodsIn this pre-registered, adequately powered study (N = 301), IU was experimentally increased or decreased compared to a control group, and the effect on indecisiveness was observed. Indecisiveness was assessed in a situational context, focusing on two decisions that were personally relevant to participants.

resultsThe manipulation successfully affected IU. As predicted, increased IU led to more indecisiveness across both decisions compared to decreased IU. Exploratory analyses found that situational IU mediated the effect of the experimental manipulation on indecisiveness.

conclusionsThe results are the first to demonstrate a causal effect of IU on indecisiveness, thus contributing to the explanation of indecisiveness and the role that uncertainty management plays in it. Moreover, they have implications for treating various mental disorders by highlighting the role of IU in the transdiagnostic phenomenon of indecisiveness.

Indexed as

Decision MakingAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedUncertaintyYoung Adultdecision makingindecisivenessintolerance of uncertaintytransdiagnostic factors

Identifiers

PMID40066910
PMCPMC12334985

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.