Investigating How Intolerance of Uncertainty and Emotion Regulation Predict Experiential Avoidance in Non-Clinical Participants

Emotional regulation and intolerance of uncertainty have been independently implicated in the overuse of experiential avoidance in stress-related situations. However, little research has examined how this relationship manifests altogether in a non-clinical sample. The current study aimed to determine the predictive nature of intolerance of uncertainty and the ability to regulate emotions on experiential avoidance. A secondary aim was to establish the role of worry in these relationships. Participants ( N = 360) completed questionnaires that measured intolerance of uncertainty, emotion dysregulation, worry and experiential avoidance. In stage one of the analysis, a bivariate linear regression was conducted to see if both intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulations would significant predict avoidance. These were then entered into a multiple linear regression model with forced entry method to explain the variance in experiential avoidance. Subsequently, a mediation analysis was conducted using worry, between intolerance of uncertainty and experiential avoidance and between emotion regulation and experiential avoidance. As expected, individuals’ tendency to intolerance of uncertainty and poor emotion regulation individually predicted experiential avoidance. Furthermore, worry mediated these relationships. These findings have implications for self-awareness responses in healthy individuals who show avoidant behaviours. Inflexible use of emotion regulation and low tolerance of uncertainty make a significant contribution to experiential avoidance. Therefore, therapeutic interventions specifically targeting both intolerance of uncertainty and appropriate use of emotion regulation may help enhance individuals’ self-awareness in relation to avoidant responses to prevent the potential creation of the cycle that maintains anxiety disorders.