The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children: A Psychometric Evaluation Article

Comer, JS, Roy, AK, Furr, JM et al. (2009). The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children: A Psychometric Evaluation . PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT, 21(3), 402-411. 10.1037/a0016719

cited authors

  • Comer, JS; Roy, AK; Furr, JM; Gotimer, K; Beidas, RS; Dugas, MJ; Kendall, PC

authors

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, or IUSC), and to a lesser extent the parent-report form, demonstrated strong internal consistency and convergent validity, evidenced by significant associations with anxiety and worry (and reassurance-seeking in the case of the child-report form). Children diagnosed with anxiety disorders scored higher than nonreferred community youth 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. © 2009 American Psychological Association.

publication date

  • September 1, 2009

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 402

end page

  • 411

volume

  • 21

issue

  • 3