title: Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale: Measurement invariance among adolescent boys and girls and relationships with anxiety and risk taking.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adolescence-related increases in both anxiety and risk taking may originate in variability in Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU), rendering the study of IU of importance. We therefore studied the psychometric properties of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Short version (IUS-12), including its associations with trait anxiety and risk taking, among adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 879 Dutch adolescents, from diverse educational levels, and with an equal distribution of boys and girls, was classically tested. To obtain indices of IU, and self-reported trait anxiety and need for risk taking, questionnaires were administrated; to obtain an index of risk taking behavior, adolescents performed a risk taking task.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multi-group Confirmatory Factor Analyses revealed that the IUS-12 consists of a Prospective and an Inhibitory IU subscale, which are partially measurement invariant across sex. Cronbach's alphas and item-total correlations revealed that the IUS-12 and its subscales have reasonable-to-good internal consistency. Correlational analyses support convergent validity, as higher IUS-12 scores were related to, respectively, higher and lower levels of self-reported trait anxiety and need for risk taking. However, we found no relationship between IUS-12 scores and risk taking behavior, operationalized by performance on the risk taking task.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A community, instead of clinical, sample was included. Also, IU was measured by a paper-and-pencil version of the IUS-12, instead of a computerized version.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The IUS-12 has good psychometric properties and may be a central measure to assess IU, which enables to explain the adolescence-related increase in both anxiety and risk taking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Yield, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: L.M.S.Dekkers@uva.nl.
authors.forename: Laura M S
authors.initials: LMS
authors.lastname: Dekkers
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Yield, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ABC, Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Center, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: B.R.J.Jansen@uva.nl.
authors.forename: Brenda R J
authors.initials: BRJ
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Yield, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ABC, Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Center, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: E.Salemink@uva.nl.
authors.forename: Elske
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salemink
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Yield, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ABC, Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Center, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: H.M.Huizenga@uva.nl.
authors.forename: Hilde M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Huizenga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D012309:Risk-Taking; D057566:Self Report; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013694:Temperament; D035501:Uncertainty
keywords: Adolescence; Anxiety; Intolerance of Uncertainty; Measurement invariance; Psychometrics; Risk taking