An Uncertain Mind lost online: Tracing the digital pathway from uncertainty to depression

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is considered a maintaining transdiagnostic factor for several mental health disorders, including depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) in adolescence and young adulthood. However, despite the large amount of research on the topic, the mechanisms through which IU interacts with other variables and results into these mental health disorders remain unclear. Moreover, it is not yet established which other factors mediate or moderate the relationship between IU and mental well-being. Adolescents and young adults often respond to uncertainty by using maladaptive coping mechanisms such as compulsive internet use (CIU), which in return increases their vulnerability towards the occurrence of depression. In that context, a cross-sectional study was designed aiming to investigate the mediating role of compulsive internet use in the association of IU and depression at that age range (16-25 years). Furthermore, the...Show moreIntolerance of uncertainty (IU) is considered a maintaining transdiagnostic factor for several mental health disorders, including depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) in adolescence and young adulthood. However, despite the large amount of research on the topic, the mechanisms through which IU interacts with other variables and results into these mental health disorders remain unclear. Moreover, it is not yet established which other factors mediate or moderate the relationship between IU and mental well-being. Adolescents and young adults often respond to uncertainty by using maladaptive coping mechanisms such as compulsive internet use (CIU), which in return increases their vulnerability towards the occurrence of depression. In that context, a cross-sectional study was designed aiming to investigate the mediating role of compulsive internet use in the association of IU and depression at that age range (16-25 years). Furthermore, the two dimensions of IU (inhibitory and prospective) were also investigated individually and compared with each other, aiming to examine their individual effect on this relationship and the possibility that one of them prevails over the other. For the purposes of this crosssectional study 195 participants, residents of the Netherlands were recruited to participate in an online survey, of which 193 were included in the analyses. Internet use problems, depressive symptoms, and intolerance of uncertainty were assessed using the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-13, revised from the research team, based on the original IUS-12 by Carleton, 2007), respectively. Results of the mediation analyses showed that indeed CIU had a strong mediating role in the association between IU and depression. The same applied to both dimensions of IU (inhibitory and prospective) when they were tested through two more mediation analyses. However, the comparison of the indirect effect of the two dimensions did not suggest a large difference between them. The results have both practical and theoretical implications. This study provides evidence that maladaptive coping is often the mean of distraction and avoidance due to uncertainty, which in return increases the risk for developing depression. Certain limitations were also identified including the use of self-report measurements and the inability to apply the results to general population.Show less

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An Uncertain Mind lost online: Tracing the digital pathway from uncertainty to depression