Intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety sensitivity, and health anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring temporal relationships using cross-lag analysis

• Published in: Journal of anxiety disorders Vol. 93; p. 102660
• Main Authors: Bredemeier, Keith, Church, Leah D., Bounoua, Nadia, Feler, Bridget, Spielberg, Jeffrey M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01-01-2023
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety sensitivity; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health anxiety; Humans; Intolerance of uncertainty; Longitudinal Studies; Pandemic; Pandemics; Uncertainty; COVID-19; Intolerance of uncertainty; Pandemic; Health anxiety; Anxiety sensitivity
• ISSN: 0887-6185; 1873-7897
• DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102660

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and anxiety sensitivity (AS) have been widely discussed and explored as factors that may contribute to health anxiety. We propose that IU and AS are salient issues for many during the COVID-19 pandemic, and may play a role in the development or exacerbation of health anxiety during the pandemic. Studies have examined links between IU and AS with health anxiety during the pandemic, but these relationships have not been tested together using a longitudinal study design. In the present study, measures of IU, AS, and health anxiety were collected from 301 adults at two time points 6 months apart during (early stages of) the COVID-19 pandemic using an online survey platform. Cross-lagged analysis was utilized to simultaneously estimate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between these three variables. Robust cross-sectional associations were observed, and IU prospectively predicted changes in both health anxiety and AS. No other statistically significant prospective associations emerged. Present findings support the putative role of IU in health anxiety, suggesting that some observed links between AS and health anxiety could be driven by shared variance with IU. IU may be an important factor to monitor and target in health anxiety interventions during the pandemic.
•We explored bidirectional links between IU, AS, and health anxiety during COVID-19.•A cross-lagged model simultaneously estimated concurrent and prospective links.•Robust concurrent relationships were observed between all three variables.•Initial levels of IU predicted health anxiety and AS at 6-month follow-up.•No other statistically significant prospective associations emerged.