Unique and interactive effects of intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation on daily negative emotionality.

Abstract

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic risk factor for emotional disorders. Although IU has been linked to anxious responding, the effects of IU on other forms of negative emotions (e.g. sadness and anger) in everyday life remain unclear. Further, the extent to which emotion regulation strategies moderate the effects of IU on daily emotionality is unknown. The present study aimed to clarify the specificity of IU's association with negative emotionality in everyday life, as well as to examine the moderating effects of emotion regulation. Participants (n = 122; 76% female) were first assessed for psychiatric diagnoses, IU, and their habitual use of reappraisal and suppression. They then completed one week of ecological momentary assessment of levels of anxiety, sadness, and anger in daily life. Results revealed modest associations between IU and levels of anxiety and sadness, but not anger, experienced during the week, even after controlling for psychiatric diagnoses and other concurrent negative emotions. Neither habitual reappraisal nor suppression moderated the effects of IU on daily emotionality. Findings suggest that IU is more closely tied to internalizing (vs. externalizing) emotional profiles and is associated with heightened negative emotionality independent of psychiatric diagnoses and emotion regulation strategy use.