Research Article
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Intolerance of Uncertainty in the Covid-19 Outbreak: A Study on Social Work Students in Konya

Year 2022, Volume: 19 Issue: 49, 738 - 750, 10.10.2022
https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1144519

Abstract

In addition to being a health problem, the Covid-19 epidemic also causes fundamental problems in areas such as the economy, social, political, and education at the global level. People continue to live daily with fears such as getting sick or losing their loved ones and exposure to severe traumatic effects. Social work students are among the negatively affected groups in this uncertain and risky environment. The definitions of social work students regarding the psychosocial outcomes of the pandemic process due to the education they receive will be able to emphasize a more specific point. This study aims to reveal the perceptions and attitudes of the students studying in the social work departments of universities in Konya towards the epidemic and their intolerance of uncertainty. Research results indicate that individuals show avoidance behavior because they cannot fully understand the causes of the disease. On the other hand, the perception that it is impossible to prevent the disease indicates a cognitive structure that it is not possible to avoid the disease. In addition, the importance of obtaining information about the disease and its prevention during the pandemic has emerged. Uncertainty in matters such as spread, contamination, and risk related to the disease is an important finding that increases anxiety. With this research, our leading suggestions are that medical social service authorities should take an active role in the context of public health and that the correct information should be delivered to young people through new generation media tools.

References

  • Amadasun, S. (2020). Social work and COVID-19 pandemic: An action call. International Social Work, 63(6), 753-756.
  • Artan, T., Karaman, M., Atak, I., Cebeci, F. (2020). Covid-19 salgınına yönelik algı ve tutumları değerlendirme Ölçeği’nin değerlendirilmesi. Sosyal Çalışma Dergisi, 4(2), 101-107.
  • Aydın, A. & Kaya, Y. (2022). Post-traumatic growth experiences of individuals having completed treatment for coronavirus: A qualitative study, Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 4(1), 23-33.
  • Baerg, L., Bruchmann, K. (2022). COVID-19 information overload: Intolerance of uncertainty moderates the relationship between frequency of internet searching and fear of COVID-19. Acta Psychologia, 224, 1-6.
  • Balcı, A., Akarçay Ulutaş, D., & Ustabaşı Gündüz, D. (2021). Nefroloji hastalarının Covid-19 sürecine ilişkin psikososyal değerlendirmeleri: Erzincan Örneği. Mehmet Fahri Bulduk, Sevde Köksal (Ed.) 23. Ulusal Sosyal Hizmet Sempozyumu Bildiri Özet Kitabı, p.22-23).
  • Baltacı, N. N., & Coşar, B. (2020). COVID-19 pandemisi ve ruh beden ilişkisi. içinde B. Coşar (Ed.), Psikiyatri ve COVID-19 (p.1-6). Türkiye Klinikleri. Bavolar, J., Kacmar, P., Hricova, M., Schrötter, J., Kovacova-Holevova, B., Köverova, M., & Raczova, B. (2021). Intolerance of uncertainty and reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Journal of General Psychology, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2021.1922346.
  • Bilgin, R., & Diğer, H. (2021). Küresel salgın (Covid-19) sürecinde evde yaşam tatmini. Alternative Politics/Alternatif Politika, 13(2), 409-438. https://doi.org/10.53376/ap.2021.14.
  • Bottesi, G., Marino, C., Vieno, A., Ghisi, M., & Spada, M. M. (2021). Psychological distress in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: the joint contribution of intolerence of uncertainty and cyberchondria. Psychology & Health, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.1952584.
  • Celik, D., Alpya, E. H., Celebi, B., & Turkeli, A. (2021). Intolerance of uncertainty, rumination, post-traumatic stress symptoms and aggression during COVID-19: A serial mediation model. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1-11.
  • Del-Valle, M. V., Lopez-Morales, H., Andres, M. L., Yerro-Avincetto, M., Trudo, R. G., Urquijo, S., & Canet-Juric, L. (2022). Intolerance of COVID-19-related uncertainty and depressive and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic: A longitudinal study in Argentina. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 86, 1-8.
  • Deniz, M. E. (2021). Self-compassion, intolerance of uncertainty, fear of COVID-19, and well-being: A serial mediation investigation. Personality and Individual Differences, 177, 1-5.
  • Dominelli, L. (2020). Surviving COVID-19: Social work issues in a global pandemic (Child protection and welfare, social care). Stirling: Stirling University.
  • Duru, Y. B., Gunal, V., Agaoglu, C. Y., & Tatlı, C. (2022). The role of covid‐19 anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty in predicting resilience. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 63(5), 522-529.
  • Emiral, E., Çevik, Z. A., & Gülümser, Ş. (2020). COVID-19 pandemisi ve intihar. ESTÜDAM Halk Sağlığı Dergisi, 5(COVID-19 Özel Sayısı), 138-147.
  • Fedorenke, E. J., Kibbey, M. M., Contrada, R. J., Farris, S. G. (2021). Psychosocial predictors of virus and social distancing fears in undergraduate students living in a US COVID-19 “hotspot”. Cognıtıve Behaviour Therapy, 50(3), 217-233.
  • Firouzkouhi, M., Alimohammadi, N., Abdollahimohammad, A., Bagheri, G., & Farzi, J. (2021). Bereaved families views on the death of loved ones due to COVID 19: an integrative review. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228211038206.
  • Gavriluță, C., Dalban, C. M., & Ioan, B. G. (2022). Educational, Emotional, and Social Impact of the Emergency State of COVID-19 on Romanian University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073990.
  • Goulet-Pelletier, J. C., Cousineau, D. (2018). A review of effect sizes and their confidence intervals, Part I: The Cohen’s d family. The Quantitative Methods for Psychology, 14(4), 242-265.
  • Hill, E. M., Frost, A., Martin, J. D. (2021). Experiences of women with ovarian cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining intolerance of uncertainty and fear of COVID-19 in relation to psychological distress. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 39(3), 399-415.
  • International Federation of Social Workers. (2022). Updated Information on IFSW and Covid-19. https://www.ifsw.org/covid-19/.
  • Karatas, Z., Tagay, Ö. (2021). The relationships between resilience of the adults affected by the covid pandemic in Turkey and Covid-19 fear, meaning in life, life satisfaction, intolerance of uncertainty and hope. Personality and Individual Differences, 172, 1-7.
  • Khorrami, K. J., Manzler, C. A., Kreutzer, K. A., Gorka, S. M. (2022). Neural and Self-report Measures of Sensitivity to Uncertainty as Predictors of COVID-Related Negative Affect. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 319, 1-6. Kılıç, S. (2013). Örnekleme yöntemleri. Journal of Mood Disorders, 3(1), 44-46.
  • Mallett, R., Coyle, C., Kuang, Y., Gillangers, D. Y. (2021). Behind the masks: a cross sectional study on intolerance of unsertainty, perceived vulnerability to disease and psychological flexibility in relation to state anxiety and wellbeing during the covid 19 pandemic. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 22, 52-62.
  • Ministry of Health COVID-19 Information Platform. (2022). General Coronavirus Chart. https://covid19.saglik.gov.tr/TR-66935/genel-koronavirus-tablosu.html.
  • Montauk, T. R., & Kuhl, E. A. (2020). Covid-related family separation and trauma in the intensive care unit. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S96. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000839.
  • Porter, A. C., & Raudenbush, S. W. (1987). Analysis of covariance: Its model and use in psychological research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 34(4), 383.
  • Reizer, A., Galperin, B. L., Chavan, M., Behl, A., Pereira, V. (2022). Examining the relationship between fear of COVID-19, intolerance for uncertainty, and cyberloafing: A mediational model. Journal of Business Research, 145, 660-670.
  • Sarıçam, H., Erguvan, F. M., Akın, A., & Akça, M. Ş. (2014). The Turkish short version of the intolerance of uncertainty (IUS-12) scale: The study of validity and reliability. Route Educational and Social Science Journal, 1(3), 148-157.
  • Saulner, K. G., Koscinski, B., Volarov, M., Accorso, C., Austin, M. J., Suhr, J. A., Allan, D., Allan, N. (2021). Anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty are unique and interactive risk factors for COVID-19 safety behaviors and worries. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 51(3), 217-228.
  • Senan, S., Halbrook, Y., Kornbrot, D. E., & Msetfi, R. M. (2022). Depression symptoms and the perception of public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: The protective effect of sense of control. Preventive Medicine Reports. 28, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101836.
  • Shiloh, S., Peleg, S., Nudelman, G. (2022). Core self-evaluations as resilience and risk factors of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2022.2030480.
  • Thomas, C. G. (2021). Research Methodology and Scientific Writing. 2nd Edition. Springer.
  • Tull, M. T., Barbano, A. C., Scamaldo, K. M., Richmond, J. R., Edmonds, K. A., Rose, J. P., Gratz, K. L. (2020). The prospective influence of COVID-19 affective risk assessments and intolerance of uncertainty on later dimensions of health anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 75, 1-8.
  • Tuncay, T. (2004). Afetlerde sosyal hizmet: 1999 Yılı Marmara ve Bolu- Düzce Depremleri sonrasında gerçekleştirilen sosyal hizmet uygulamaları. Özbay Ofset Publishing.
  • Ustabaşı Gündüz, D., Ayhan, D., & Akarçay Ulutaş, D. (2021). Sosyal hizmet bakış açısıyla pandemi yönetiminin değerlendirilmesi. Içinde İlknur Ekiz Atateş, Bilge Afşar (Ed), Covid-19 Pandemisine Disiplinlerarası Bakış (p.243-277). Ekin Publishing.
  • Wang, J., Guo, C., Wu, X., & Li, P. (2022). Influencing factors for public risk perception of COVID-19-perspective of the pandemic whole life cycle. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 67, 1-13.
  • Wheaton, M. G., Messner, G. R., Marks, J. B. (2021). Intolerance of uncertainty as a factor linking obsessive-compulsive symptoms, health anxiety and concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 28, 1-6.
  • World Health Organization Coronovirus Dashboard. (2022). https://covid19.who.int/. Erişim tarihi: 01.06.2022.
Year 2022, Volume: 19 Issue: 49, 738 - 750, 10.10.2022
https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1144519

Abstract

References

  • Amadasun, S. (2020). Social work and COVID-19 pandemic: An action call. International Social Work, 63(6), 753-756.
  • Artan, T., Karaman, M., Atak, I., Cebeci, F. (2020). Covid-19 salgınına yönelik algı ve tutumları değerlendirme Ölçeği’nin değerlendirilmesi. Sosyal Çalışma Dergisi, 4(2), 101-107.
  • Aydın, A. & Kaya, Y. (2022). Post-traumatic growth experiences of individuals having completed treatment for coronavirus: A qualitative study, Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 4(1), 23-33.
  • Baerg, L., Bruchmann, K. (2022). COVID-19 information overload: Intolerance of uncertainty moderates the relationship between frequency of internet searching and fear of COVID-19. Acta Psychologia, 224, 1-6.
  • Balcı, A., Akarçay Ulutaş, D., & Ustabaşı Gündüz, D. (2021). Nefroloji hastalarının Covid-19 sürecine ilişkin psikososyal değerlendirmeleri: Erzincan Örneği. Mehmet Fahri Bulduk, Sevde Köksal (Ed.) 23. Ulusal Sosyal Hizmet Sempozyumu Bildiri Özet Kitabı, p.22-23).
  • Baltacı, N. N., & Coşar, B. (2020). COVID-19 pandemisi ve ruh beden ilişkisi. içinde B. Coşar (Ed.), Psikiyatri ve COVID-19 (p.1-6). Türkiye Klinikleri. Bavolar, J., Kacmar, P., Hricova, M., Schrötter, J., Kovacova-Holevova, B., Köverova, M., & Raczova, B. (2021). Intolerance of uncertainty and reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Journal of General Psychology, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2021.1922346.
  • Bilgin, R., & Diğer, H. (2021). Küresel salgın (Covid-19) sürecinde evde yaşam tatmini. Alternative Politics/Alternatif Politika, 13(2), 409-438. https://doi.org/10.53376/ap.2021.14.
  • Bottesi, G., Marino, C., Vieno, A., Ghisi, M., & Spada, M. M. (2021). Psychological distress in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: the joint contribution of intolerence of uncertainty and cyberchondria. Psychology & Health, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.1952584.
  • Celik, D., Alpya, E. H., Celebi, B., & Turkeli, A. (2021). Intolerance of uncertainty, rumination, post-traumatic stress symptoms and aggression during COVID-19: A serial mediation model. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1-11.
  • Del-Valle, M. V., Lopez-Morales, H., Andres, M. L., Yerro-Avincetto, M., Trudo, R. G., Urquijo, S., & Canet-Juric, L. (2022). Intolerance of COVID-19-related uncertainty and depressive and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic: A longitudinal study in Argentina. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 86, 1-8.
  • Deniz, M. E. (2021). Self-compassion, intolerance of uncertainty, fear of COVID-19, and well-being: A serial mediation investigation. Personality and Individual Differences, 177, 1-5.
  • Dominelli, L. (2020). Surviving COVID-19: Social work issues in a global pandemic (Child protection and welfare, social care). Stirling: Stirling University.
  • Duru, Y. B., Gunal, V., Agaoglu, C. Y., & Tatlı, C. (2022). The role of covid‐19 anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty in predicting resilience. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 63(5), 522-529.
  • Emiral, E., Çevik, Z. A., & Gülümser, Ş. (2020). COVID-19 pandemisi ve intihar. ESTÜDAM Halk Sağlığı Dergisi, 5(COVID-19 Özel Sayısı), 138-147.
  • Fedorenke, E. J., Kibbey, M. M., Contrada, R. J., Farris, S. G. (2021). Psychosocial predictors of virus and social distancing fears in undergraduate students living in a US COVID-19 “hotspot”. Cognıtıve Behaviour Therapy, 50(3), 217-233.
  • Firouzkouhi, M., Alimohammadi, N., Abdollahimohammad, A., Bagheri, G., & Farzi, J. (2021). Bereaved families views on the death of loved ones due to COVID 19: an integrative review. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228211038206.
  • Gavriluță, C., Dalban, C. M., & Ioan, B. G. (2022). Educational, Emotional, and Social Impact of the Emergency State of COVID-19 on Romanian University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073990.
  • Goulet-Pelletier, J. C., Cousineau, D. (2018). A review of effect sizes and their confidence intervals, Part I: The Cohen’s d family. The Quantitative Methods for Psychology, 14(4), 242-265.
  • Hill, E. M., Frost, A., Martin, J. D. (2021). Experiences of women with ovarian cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining intolerance of uncertainty and fear of COVID-19 in relation to psychological distress. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 39(3), 399-415.
  • International Federation of Social Workers. (2022). Updated Information on IFSW and Covid-19. https://www.ifsw.org/covid-19/.
  • Karatas, Z., Tagay, Ö. (2021). The relationships between resilience of the adults affected by the covid pandemic in Turkey and Covid-19 fear, meaning in life, life satisfaction, intolerance of uncertainty and hope. Personality and Individual Differences, 172, 1-7.
  • Khorrami, K. J., Manzler, C. A., Kreutzer, K. A., Gorka, S. M. (2022). Neural and Self-report Measures of Sensitivity to Uncertainty as Predictors of COVID-Related Negative Affect. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 319, 1-6. Kılıç, S. (2013). Örnekleme yöntemleri. Journal of Mood Disorders, 3(1), 44-46.
  • Mallett, R., Coyle, C., Kuang, Y., Gillangers, D. Y. (2021). Behind the masks: a cross sectional study on intolerance of unsertainty, perceived vulnerability to disease and psychological flexibility in relation to state anxiety and wellbeing during the covid 19 pandemic. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 22, 52-62.
  • Ministry of Health COVID-19 Information Platform. (2022). General Coronavirus Chart. https://covid19.saglik.gov.tr/TR-66935/genel-koronavirus-tablosu.html.
  • Montauk, T. R., & Kuhl, E. A. (2020). Covid-related family separation and trauma in the intensive care unit. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S96. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000839.
  • Porter, A. C., & Raudenbush, S. W. (1987). Analysis of covariance: Its model and use in psychological research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 34(4), 383.
  • Reizer, A., Galperin, B. L., Chavan, M., Behl, A., Pereira, V. (2022). Examining the relationship between fear of COVID-19, intolerance for uncertainty, and cyberloafing: A mediational model. Journal of Business Research, 145, 660-670.
  • Sarıçam, H., Erguvan, F. M., Akın, A., & Akça, M. Ş. (2014). The Turkish short version of the intolerance of uncertainty (IUS-12) scale: The study of validity and reliability. Route Educational and Social Science Journal, 1(3), 148-157.
  • Saulner, K. G., Koscinski, B., Volarov, M., Accorso, C., Austin, M. J., Suhr, J. A., Allan, D., Allan, N. (2021). Anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty are unique and interactive risk factors for COVID-19 safety behaviors and worries. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 51(3), 217-228.
  • Senan, S., Halbrook, Y., Kornbrot, D. E., & Msetfi, R. M. (2022). Depression symptoms and the perception of public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: The protective effect of sense of control. Preventive Medicine Reports. 28, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101836.
  • Shiloh, S., Peleg, S., Nudelman, G. (2022). Core self-evaluations as resilience and risk factors of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2022.2030480.
  • Thomas, C. G. (2021). Research Methodology and Scientific Writing. 2nd Edition. Springer.
  • Tull, M. T., Barbano, A. C., Scamaldo, K. M., Richmond, J. R., Edmonds, K. A., Rose, J. P., Gratz, K. L. (2020). The prospective influence of COVID-19 affective risk assessments and intolerance of uncertainty on later dimensions of health anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 75, 1-8.
  • Tuncay, T. (2004). Afetlerde sosyal hizmet: 1999 Yılı Marmara ve Bolu- Düzce Depremleri sonrasında gerçekleştirilen sosyal hizmet uygulamaları. Özbay Ofset Publishing.
  • Ustabaşı Gündüz, D., Ayhan, D., & Akarçay Ulutaş, D. (2021). Sosyal hizmet bakış açısıyla pandemi yönetiminin değerlendirilmesi. Içinde İlknur Ekiz Atateş, Bilge Afşar (Ed), Covid-19 Pandemisine Disiplinlerarası Bakış (p.243-277). Ekin Publishing.
  • Wang, J., Guo, C., Wu, X., & Li, P. (2022). Influencing factors for public risk perception of COVID-19-perspective of the pandemic whole life cycle. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 67, 1-13.
  • Wheaton, M. G., Messner, G. R., Marks, J. B. (2021). Intolerance of uncertainty as a factor linking obsessive-compulsive symptoms, health anxiety and concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 28, 1-6.
  • World Health Organization Coronovirus Dashboard. (2022). https://covid19.who.int/. Erişim tarihi: 01.06.2022.
There are 38 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Dilara Ustabaşı Gündüz 0000-0002-8184-8446

Demet Akarçay Ulutaş 0000-0001-5872-2549

Publication Date October 10, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 19 Issue: 49

Cite

APA Ustabaşı Gündüz, D., & Akarçay Ulutaş, D. (2022). Intolerance of Uncertainty in the Covid-19 Outbreak: A Study on Social Work Students in Konya. OPUS Journal of Society Research, 19(49), 738-750. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1144519