Transdiagnostic Connections of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Across Schizotypy, Mood, Obsessive Beliefs, and Physical Health in a College Student Sample

The ways in which we classify mental and physical health are closely tied to etiological understandings and interventions. Transdiagnostic conceptualizations may provide increased precision and specificity that are more representative of “real-world” symptom presentations. The intolerance of uncertainty (IOU), an aversive state formed in reaction to the fear of the unknown, may have transdiagnostic value across mental and physical health. The current study sought to examine the transdiagnostic role of IOU from a dimensional perspective across mental and physical health through the lens of the schizophrenia spectrum with an undergraduate student sample (n = 433). Evidence emerged for dimensional relationships that are consistent with the theoretical schizoaffective and schizoobsessive spectrums. There was support for IOU as a transdiagnostic factor, especially within constellations of control and negative affectivity. While diagnoses such as asthma and diabetes appeared to be poor proxy measures of physical health, somatic symptom burden and respiratory symptoms formed unique relationships with mental health and IOU. Future research should continue to examine mental and physical health from integrated perspectives and establish thresholds to better determine what constitutes a transdiagnostic factor of health.