An Evaluation of the Mediating Effect of Intolerance of Uncertainty on the Association Between Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and Anxiety.

Abstract

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is a syndrome that may consist of a new and distinct attention disorder, in contrast to ADHD. Symptoms of it include dreaminess, mental fogginess, hypoactivity, sluggishness, staring frequently, inconsistent alertness and a slow working speed. Historically, SCT has been associated with general anxiety traits. Similarly, intolerance of uncertainty was originally proposed as being an important cognitive process, also associated with worry and general anxiety disorder. Intolerance of uncertainty has been defined as a cognitive bias that affects how a person perceives, interprets, and responds to uncertain situations. Despite the strong associations that both SCT and intolerance of uncertainty have with anxiety, the possible mediation effect of intolerance of uncertainty on the association between SCT and anxiety has not been previously explored. As a result, the present study aims to evaluate the mediating effect of intolerance of uncertainty on the association between SCT and anxiety. 145 participants completed a number of psychometric measures evaluating SCT, general anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty and symptoms of ADHD, ASD and depression. Results showed that intolerance of uncertainty did had a significant mediating effect on the association between sluggish cognitive tempo and multiple leasers of general anxiety. This meditative effect remained significant when measures of ADHD were included in the prediction model; however it did not remain significant when measures of ASD or depression were included in the prediction model. One limitation of the study was that the participant sample was predominantly female. Given that there were more females than males in the study, and that females typically scored higher than males in each scale, this may have resulted in an overall higher mean score. In order to account for this effect, further research could be conducted using a more generalisable sample.