title: The impact of intolerance of uncertainty on anxiety after receiving an informational intervention about HPV: a randomised controlled study.
abstract: This study examined the impact of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and an informational intervention about human papillomavirus (HPV) infection on perceived uncertainty about one's HPV testing status (referred to as 'HPV uncertainty') and anxiety. IU, HPV uncertainty and other pre-intervention measures were assessed through mailed questionnaires. Participants were then randomly assigned to receive either a long (N = 125) or short (N = 124) HPV-specific information pamphlet or a long (N = 131) or short (N = 115) control pamphlet about cancer prevention. Participants subsequently completed measures of HPV uncertainty and anxiety. Providing a lot of HPV information increased HPV uncertainty more than providing little HPV information and cancer prevention information. Among women who received the long HPV or the short control pamphlet, those with higher IU were more anxious than those with lower IU. Women with higher IU are more likely to seek HPV information, but they may also be at risk for experiencing higher anxiety because factual uncertainties about HPV cannot be resolved through the provision of more information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 1B1. natalie.rosen@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Natalie O
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: Bärbel
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Knäuper
authors.forename: Pasqualina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Dio
authors.forename: Eleshia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Reena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tabing
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feldstain
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amsel
authors.forename: Marie-Hélène
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Mayrand
authors.forename: Eduardo L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Zeev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rosberger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus; D001007:Anxiety; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008875:Middle Aged; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D035501:Uncertainty; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology