Attentional control dampens the effects of intolerance of uncertainty and uncertainty-related attentional bias on posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Abstract

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a risk factor for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) following trauma, and attentional biases for uncertainty stimuli (ABU) may be as well. Evidence suggests that better attentional control protects individuals who are vulnerable to several forms of psychopathology from developing such pathology. However, to our knowledge, the potential buffering effect of attentional control in relations between IU, ABU, and PTSS has yet to be examined. In the present study, 125 trauma-exposed undergraduate participants completed a battery of self-report measures and an eye-tracking visual-search task to assess ABU. The sample was primarily White (88.80%) and female (83.2%) with an average age of 19.70 years (SD = 2.60). A series of hierarchical regressions demonstrated that elevated IU and difficulties disengaging from uncertainty stimuli were associated with higher PTSS, but only among participants with lower scores on a measure of attentional control. For participants with relatively better attentional control, the associations between IU, ABU, and PTSS were non-significant. The non-clinical nature and relative homogeny of the current sample may limit generalizability of results, which warrant replication. Attentional control may protect trauma-exposed individuals from the negative effects of IU and ABU on PTSS.