Ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance, need for cognition, and their association with stress. A study among Italian practicing physicians.
Medical practice is inherently ambiguous and uncertain. The physicians' ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty has been proved to have a great impact on clinical practice. The primary aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that higher degree of physicians' ambiguity and uncertainty intolerance and higher need for cognitive closure will predict higher work stress. Two hundred and twelve physicians (mean age = 42.94 years; SD = 10.72) from different medical specialties with different levels of expertise were administered a set of questionnaires measuring perceived levels of work-related stress, individual ability to tolerate ambiguity, stress deriving from uncertainty, and personal need for cognitive closure. A linear regression analysis was performed to examine which variables predict the perceived level of stress. The regression model was statistically significant [R2= .32; F(10,206) = 8.78, p ≤ .001], thus showing that, after controlling for gender and medical specialty, ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance, decisiveness (a dimension included in need for closure), and the years of practice were significant predictors of perceived work-related stress. Findings from the present study have some implications for medical education. Given the great impact that the individual ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty has on the physicians' level of perceived work-related stress, it would be worth paying particular attention to such a skill in medical education settings. It would be crucial to introduce or to empower educational tools and strategies that could increase medical students' ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty.


BACKGROUND
JSQ: Job stress questionnaire; NFCS: Need for cognitive closure scale; PRU: Physicians' reactions to uncertainty; TFA: Tolerance for ambiguity.
a Department of Psychology - Research Unit on Decision-making Processes in Emergency Medicine , Catholic University of the Sacred Heart , Milan , Italy.
Paola
P
Iannello
a Department of Psychology - Research Unit on Decision-making Processes in Emergency Medicine , Catholic University of the Sacred Heart , Milan , Italy.
Anna
A
Mottini
a Department of Psychology - Research Unit on Decision-making Processes in Emergency Medicine , Catholic University of the Sacred Heart , Milan , Italy.
Simone
S
Tirelli
b University of Milan , Department of Health Sciences , Milan , Italy.
Silvia
S
Riva
a Department of Psychology - Research Unit on Decision-making Processes in Emergency Medicine , Catholic University of the Sacred Heart , Milan , Italy.
Alessandro
A
Antonietti
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D035501:Uncertainty
Tolerance for ambiguity; medical expertise; need for cognitive closure; practicing physicians; uncertainty; work-related stress