TOLERANCE OF UNCERTAINTY AND EXECUTIVE DYSFUNCTION IN PEOPLE WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of tolerance of uncertainty on the executive functions in people with psychological trauma. To study the neuropsychological correlates of tolerance of uncertainty in people with psychological trauma, 55 subjects aged 21 to 66 years (25 men and 30 women) were involved. The control sample included 56 subjects aged 22–67 years (21 men and 35 women). Research methods: "New questionnaire of tolerance-intolerance of uncertainty", "Iowa Gambling Task", Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS-DX), Method of verbal-color interference (Stroop test). Results: psychological trauma causes a decrease in the level of tolerance of uncertainty (ToU), an increase in the level of intolerance of uncertainty (IoU) and an increase in the level of interpersonal intolerance of uncertainty (IIoU). ToU can be seen as a protective factor in the case of psychological trauma. ToU can alleviate the manifestations of executive dysfunction (when treating both ambivalent and indeterminate stimuli) in people with a history of psychological trauma. IoU can be considered as a psychological construct that interferes with the normal functioning of executive functions in the control group (persons without a history of psychological trauma). Psychological trauma causes an increase in the level of IIoU in a way that is not associated with executive dysfunction.