Intolerance of uncertainty and conditioned place preference in opioid addiction

Abstract

Several personality factors have been implicated in vulnerability to addiction by impacting learning and decision making. One such factor is intolerance of uncertainty (IU), the tendency to perceive uncertain situations negatively and avoid them. Conditioned place preference (CPP), which compares preference for contexts paired with reward, has been used to examine the motivation for both drug and non-drug rewards. However, preference for locations associated with non-drug reward, as well as the potential influence of IU, has not been thoroughly studied in individuals with addiction. In the current study, we examined CPP using a computer-based task in a sample of addicted individuals undergoing opioid maintenance treatment and never-addicted controls. Patients were confirmed to have higher IU than controls. In the CPP task, the two groups did not differ in overall time spent in the previously-rewarded context. However, controls were more likely than patients to immediately return to this context. Contrary to our predictions, IU was not a significant predictor of preference for the previously-rewarded context, although higher IU in controls was associated with a higher number of rewards obtained in the task. No such relationship was found in patients.

Behavioral Inhibition/Activation Systems and Depression Among Females With Substance Use Disorder: The Mediating Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Anhedonia

“…Especially for females with SUD who suffer from more negative life events and more uncertainty within their environment, high BIS levels could induce high IU, thus leading to a higher level of depression than the individuals with low BIS levels. Because individuals with high levels of IU show blunted reward responsiveness ( 40 ), the BAS cannot have an indirect impact on depression through IU. On the other hand, the BAS has a close relationship with reward seeking, and individuals with high BAS sensitivity show a high preference for novelty processing and reward dependence ( 23 ).…”

“…Although previous studies have suggested that IU plays an important and specific role in the development and maintenance of high levels of worry and generalized anxiety disorder ( 33 , 36 ), an increasing number of researchers regard IU as a transdiagnostic risk factor for a range of psychiatric disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, depression, and SUD ( 37 – 39 ). For example, several studies have found that compared to healthy individuals, individuals with SUD perceive higher levels of IU ( 12 , 40 ). While the researchers who conducted these studies also suggested that although IU is a feature of SUD, it may not play a unique role.…”

“…The BAS predisposes an individual to pursue reward and novel sources, while individuals with high levels of IU are likely to select low-probability immediate rewards rather than high-probability delayed rewards ( 44 ). Furthermore, compared to a control group, individuals with higher levels of IU were less sensitive to the previously rewarded context ( 40 ). Therefore, the BAS may have no association with IU.…”

Effects of chronic stress on smartphone addiction: A moderated mediation model

“…Intolerance of uncertainty predicts the extent of post-traumatic stress symptoms associated with negative stressful life events (59). There is also a strong relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and addictive behavior, and patients treated with opioids have higher intolerance of uncertainty (60). Therefore, the preliminary findings of this study indicate that there may be a complex relationship among the three variables, and we construct the relationship model among them.…”

La intolerancia a la incertidumbre, la tendencia a experimentar preocupaciones y el pesimismo como factores intervinientes en la relación entre la dependencia emocional y la violencia

“…Por su parte, la intolerancia a la incertidumbre es definida como una tendencia a percibir las situaciones inciertas y ambiguas como negativas, desagradables, inaceptables y amenazantes, independientemente de la probabilidad de que ocurran, lo que les lleva a reaccionar ante ellas de manera intensa y negativa a nivel emocional, cognitivo y conductual, así como a evitarlas (Morriss y McSorley, 2019;Radell et al, 2018;Rodgers et al, 2019;Roma y Hope, 2017). Asimismo, la dificultad para tolerar la incertidumbre supone cierto riesgo al incrementar la probabilidad de adopción de conductas de riesgo dirigidas a aliviar las emociones angustiosas o desagradables (Sadeh y Bredemeier, 2019).…”