Gioia Bottesi

University of Padova | UNIPD · Department of General Psychology

Intolerance of Uncertainty is a trans-diagnostic process that spans a range of emotional disorders and it is usually measured through the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12. The current study aims at investigating some issues in the assessment of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) through the Italian Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised, a measur...

The paper forms part of a series of papers outlining the theoretical framework for a new model of uncertainty distress (this paper), treatment implications arising from the model, and empirical tests of the model. We define uncertainty distress as the subjective negative emotions experienced in response to the as yet unknown aspects of a given situ...

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor spanning psychological disorders. Although IU has been extensively studied, its internal structure is still not fully understood. In the current study, we applied network analysis to investigate IU-as measured by the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised (IUS-R)-in two lar...

Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic factor involved in several psychological disorders. Adolescence is characterized by elevated uncertainty and psychopathological vulnerability, but insufficient attention has been paid to IU at this age. This study aimed to investigate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Intole...

Previous research on the relation between Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) and Emotional Processing (EP) during adolescence is limited. The present study aimed to clarify how IU and EP evolve over time, to what extent they are related, and whether changes in one precede or follow changes in the other. A total of 457 Italian adolescents (53.1% girls)...

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the psychological wellbeing of some people, there is evidence that many have been much less affected. The Ecological Model of Resilience (EMR) may explain why some individuals are not resilient whilst others are. In this study we test the EMR in a comparison of UK survey data collected from the COVID-19 P...

Adolescence is a transition period characterized by several uncertainties and elevated vulnerability to psychopathology. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is the tendency to experience negative cognitive, emotional, and behavioural reactions in the face of uncertain situations and it may be a risk factor for the development of psychopathology in this...

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a vulnerability factor for several psychological disorders and may be an important target for transdiagnostic interventions (Shihata et al., 2016). The current pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural group intervention delivered to 7 university students. These stu...

A Consensus Conference of clinicians, researchers, public health specialists and users was convened in Italy to review efficacy, effectiveness, treatment appropriateness and access to care for anxiety and depression, and to consider the role of psychological therapies. Expert opinion was sought concerning identification of people requiring psycholo...

Objective: To explore the direct and indirect associations between intolerance of uncertainty, health anxiety (HA), and psychological distress through problematic internet use (PIU) and cyberchondria, both before and during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Two Italian samples were enrolled via an online questionnaire. Sample 1 (N...

Abundant research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has been negatively affecting mental health in adolescence. Few works, however, benefit from data from the same sample before and after the onset of the pandemic. The present longitudinal study involved a non-clinical group of 136 Italian adolescents (Mage = 16.3 years ± 1.08, 67% girls) to inv...

The Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) developed by Tangney, Baumeister, and Boone (2004) is a widely used measure of trait self-control. The present study aimed to validate Italian version of the BSCS. 262 Italian university students completed BSCS along with measures of grit, impulsive behavior, self-esteem, resilience, and psychological distress. 1...

Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) and Emotional Processing (EP) are well-known transdiagnostic factors for mental disorders. Teenagers are highly vulnerable to psychopathology, thus examining the longitudinal association between IU and EP in such a population may be clinically relevant. This three-wave longitudinal study explored how self-reported IU...

Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) is a vulnerability factor for several psychological disorders, and it may constitute an important target of transdiagnostic interventions. The present study aimed to preliminary evaluate the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic CBT group intervention delivered to 7 university students with difficulties tolerating uncer...

Introduction. Adolescence is a critical period for individual development since it is marked by numerous cognitive, physical, psychological, and interpersonal changes that make this life stage particularly stressful, thus also increasing vulnerability to psychopathology. Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) and Emotional Processing (EP) are well-known t...

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the psychological wellbeing of some people, there is evidence that many have been much less affected. The Ecological Model of Resilience (EMR) may explain why some individuals are not resilient whilst others are. In this study we test the EMR in a comparison of UK survey data collected from the Covid-19 P...

Studies pertaining to muscle dysmorphia (MD) have concentrated the most on males. However, a new body ideal for women is emerging: a very toned, athletic body with flat, smooth muscles. The emphasis on the level of muscularity represents a contribution to the growth of MD symptoms in women. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factorial struct...

Body dissatisfaction has been related to Body Image Disorders (BIDs) such as Eating Disorders (EDs) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). This study investigates the efficacy of a mHealth app in reducing body dissatisfaction, BDD/ED symptoms and related features. Ninety-five women who were identified as high-risk of developing BIDs (using the Structu...

The triarchic model of psychopathy posits that three distinct trait dispositions-disinhibition, meanness, and boldness-contribute to the interpersonal, affective, and impulsive-unrestrained features of this condition and is represented to varying degrees in all conceptualizations and measures of psychopathy. Using data for incarcerated males (n = 2...

In research and clinical contexts, it is important to briefly evaluate perceived Psychological and Social Support (PSS) to plan psychological interventions and allocate efforts and resources. However, an appropriate brief assessment tool for PSS was lacking. This study aimed at developing a brief and accurate scale to specifically measure PSS in cl...

Eating disorders are multifaceted psychopathologies and the transdiagnostic approach is currently considered a useful framework to understand their complexity. This preliminary study aimed to investigate both broad (i.e., intolerance of uncertainty and emotion dysregulation) and narrow (i.e., extreme body dissatisfaction) transdiagnostic risk facto...

Background/Objective Unwanted mental intrusions (UMIs) with contents related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD), and Eating Disorders (EDs) are highly prevalent, independently of the cultural and/or social context. Cognitive-behavioral explanations for these disorders postulates th...

The triarchic model of psychopathy conceptualizes variants of this clinical condition as expressions of three distinct biobehavioral dispositions, termed boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. As a trait-oriented model, the triarchic model situates psychopathy within a broader nomological network of personality and psychopathology, and has proven u...

Background: Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is characterized by concerns for perceived defects in physical appearance that appear to others as mild or unobservable. Individuals with BDD frequently refer concerns with their physical appearance being 'not right' (Not Just Right Experiences; NJREs), and BDD related behaviors may be performed until the...

L’uncertainty distress è uno stato psicologico che viene definito come l’insieme delle emozioni negative che sono elicitate da aspetti non noti di una determinata situazione. Il modello dell’uncertainty distress (Uncertainty Distress Model, UDM; Freeston et al., 2020) analizza il ruolo che minaccia, incertezza e intolleranza all’incertezza esercita...

The validity of self-report psychopathy assessment has been questioned, especially in forensic settings where clinical evaluations influence critical decision-making (e.g., institutional placement, parole eligibility). Informant-based assessment offers a potentially valuable supplement to self-report but is challenging to acquire in under-resourced...

Introduction: The life-threatening Covid-19 (C19) has challenged people’s physical and mental health (e.g., anxiety, worry). C19 has potentially fatal outcomes and could intensify the specific Anxiety of Death (DA) that, in turn, could heighten the levels of pervasive Generalized Anxiety (GA) also in not-lifethreatening situations. The unprecedente...

Background: On 10 March 2020, Italy became the first democratic Country since World War II to Impose a nationwide lockdown due the COVID-19 outbreaks. At that time, there were many unknowns about COVID-19, and they were rapidly changing over time. In the current study, we aimed to categorise and describe the main uncertainty themes and subthemes re...

Background Individuals who possess the “Looming Cognitive Style” (LCS; Riskind et al. in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 79:837–852, 2000) are biased to perceive mental simulations of possible threats as dynamically emergent phenomena that are rapidly growing, approaching, and expanding in negative consequences. The present study aimed...

The construct of intuitive eating is most often measured using the 23-item Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), but previous studies have typically relied solely on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to understand IES-2 dimensionality. In contrast, a bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling (B-ESEM) framework offers a more realistic account...

We used structural equation modeling to assess the role of impaired emotional awareness and clarity (Impaired Awareness/Clarity) and inability to control behaviors when experiencing emotional distress (Inability to Control Behaviors) as an account for the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and negative affect (NA) in individuals w...

Purpose: Radiodermatitis is likely to be an inevitable side effect of radiotherapy (RT) but experiencing pain relief during RT might contribute making treatment more acceptable and less impairing. The current study aimed to assess the subjective perceptions and experiences of skin toxicity in a sample of women undergoing adjuvant RT for breast canc...

This study investigated the association between maladaptive personality traits, personality disorders (PDs), schizophrenia, and the risk of aggressive behavior. Ninety-four patients with a history of violence and 92 patients with no history of violence underwent a multidimensional baseline assessment. Aggressive behavior was monitored during a 1-ye...

The aim of the current study was to investigate the intersecting roles of dysfunctional personality traits and coping styles in relation to psychological distress during the Italian national lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included 633 adults who completed questionnaires of maladaptive personality traits, coping styles, and p...

This study sought to evaluate the specificity of health anxiety, relative to other forms of psychopathology, in perceptions of COVID-19 as dangerous. Measures of health anxiety, COVID-19 perceived dangerousness, negative affect, anxiety, depression, stress, contamination-related obsessions and compulsions, and intrusive illness-related thoughts wer...

This study extended recent research showing that perceptions of disease risk are associated with emotional well-being during COVID-19 by examining how psychopathic traits of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition influence these perceptions and psychological outcomes. During the Italian national lockdown, a large community sample (Mage=31.3 years) c...

Background/Objective: Not Just Right Experiences (NJREs) are currently considered as one of the motivators of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but the ways through which NJREs affect OCD symptoms remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the putative mediational role of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) in the association betwe...

Background Individuals who possess the “Looming Cognitive Style” (LCS; Riskind, Williams, Gessner, Chrosniak, & Cortina, 2000) are biased to perceive mental simulations of possible threats as dynamically emergent phenomena that are rapidly growing, approaching, and expanding in negative consequences. The present study aimed to evaluate whether the...

Cyberchondria refers to the tendency to excessively and compulsively search for online medical information despite the distress experienced, with consequent impairment of daily‐life activities. The current two studies sought to explore: (i) the factor‐structure of the Italian version of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale; and (ii) a metacognitive mod...

Background: Relationship Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ROCD) is a presentation of OCD centering on interpersonal relationships. The aim of the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) was to assess the efficacy of short, game like, daily cognitive intervention delivered via a mobile application in reducing subclinical ROCD symptoms and associated phenomena....

Despite rapidly increasing knowledge about Trichotillomania (TTM), no gold-standard evidence-based psychological intervention has been identified. In the current study, we evaluated the potential efficacy of an eight-session psychological intervention for TTM, namely the Comprehensive Behavioral Model (ComB) treatment, using a multiple-baseline sin...

Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) is an individual´s "tendency to be bothered or upset by the (as yet) unknown elements of a situation, whether the possible outcome is negative or not." This construct, originally proposed in the context of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), is now considered a transdiagnostic construct. The Intolerance of Uncertaint...

Background: Low skin-related quality of life (QoL) is usually associated with low levels of self-confidence and self-esteem and with high levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. The way patients cope with a physical disease impacts significantly on their psychosocial adjustment to the disorder and on their emotional functioning. Objectives: To...

Introduction Young adult males are more likely to demonstrate health-risk behaviors than other individuals. The use of specific data about health-risk behaviors within this population might be important to promote effective preventive psychosocial and educational programs and interventions. Aim To provide a detailed description of health-related l...

The paper forms part of a series of two papers outlining the theoretical framework for a new model of uncertainty distress (paper one) as well as treatment implications (paper two) arising from the model. We define uncertainty distress as the subjective negative emotions experienced in response to the as yet unknown aspects of a given situation. In...

Body dissatisfaction is prevalent in young women, and is associated with symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Eating Disorders (EDs). The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of a mobile application, based on cognitive behavioral principles, in reducing body dissatisfaction and BDD/ED symptoms in female university students consider...

Background: The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT) is a comprehensive instrument developed to accurately assess the main pretransplant psychosocial risk factors that may impact transplant outcomes. Objective: As neither established assessment procedures nor standardized tools designed to perform pretransplant...

Background: The achievement of recovery is related to the notion of developing personal potential and restoring a legitimate social role, even against the backdrop of mental illness limitations. It is still difficult to fully understand this highly subjective and dynamic process. Therefore, in order to test the recovery process, specific tools, sti...

The overlap between parent and child psychological distress might be attributed to the intergenerational transmission of intolerance of uncertainty (IU). The current study explored the association between parental and child IU in female university students. Female undergraduates (N = 234) and their parents completed questionnaires assessing IU and...

Although “not just right experiences” (NJREs) and disgust proneness (DP) have been increasingly implicated in the development and maintenance of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), no studies to date have examined their conjoint effect. In the present study, structural equation modeling was used to examine the extent to which NJREs and DP were ass...

It has been contended that research about “Not Just Right Experiences” (NJREs) would be biased by the type of measures prevalently utilized to assess such phenomenon. That is, items intended to assess a construct conceptualized as a possible vulnerability factor of obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms may have tapped the symptoms themselves. In the c...

Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) is the dispositional inability of an individual to tolerate the aversive reactions triggered by a perceived lack of sufficient information and maintained by the related perception of uncertainty. When dealing with uncertainty, people high in IU experience high levels of distress and they are likely to perform maladap...

Introduction: Patients with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) usually act impulsively to manage negative emotions due to poor emotion regulation (ER) and to the tendency to engage in rash behavior when experiencing negative affect (i.e., negative urgency, NU). Similarly, people with high levels of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) might perform impulsiv...

Background/Objective Unwanted mental intrusions (UMIs), typically discussed in relation to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), are highly prevalent, regardless of the specific nationality, religion, and/or cultural context. Studies have also shown that UMIs related to Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Illness anxiety/Hypochondriasis (IA-H), and Eati...

The Italian Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised.

Community sample dataset. (CSV)

Undergraduate sample dataset. (CSV)

People might employ unhelpful coping strategies to manage uncertainty, such as over-engagement, under-engagement, and impulsive behaviors. The current study explored the association between prospective and inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty (IU), negative urgency (NU), worry, and behavioral responses to everyday life uncertain situations. A samp...

The aims of this study were (a) to investigate the presence of clinically significant personality traits and personality disorders (PD) in patients living in residential facilities, with or without a history of violence (69 and 46, respectively); and (b) to investigate any associations between clinically significant personality traits and PDs, aggr...

Integrating self- and other-reports allows gaining complementary information while assessing personality traits of a target individual. The current study aimed at exploring self-other agreement in personality through the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) and the PID-5-Informant Form (PID-5-IRF) in an Italian community sample. Data from 80...

Objective: Investigating whether intolerance of uncertainty interacts with difficulties in emotion regulation and negative affect in Italian individuals with borderline personality disorder compared to healthy controls. Method: A group of patients with borderline personality disorder (N=48; clinical group) and a group of healthy participants (N=48)...

Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) is a psychological disorder characterized by the preoccupation with the idea that one's body is not lean and muscular. The current study aimed to explore MD behaviours and symptoms in three groups of recreational athletes: bodybuilders (BB; n = 42), strength athletes (SA; n = 61), and fitness practitioners (FP; n = 22). Furth...