Profiles of intolerance of uncertainty, separation anxiety, and negative affectivity in emerging adulthood: A person-centered approach

The present study aimed to define the psychological profiles based on intolerance of uncertainty, separation anxiety symptoms, and negative affectivity levels in a nonclinical group of 868 young adults, both university students and workers, aged 18-26 years. A Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was applied, which revealed three profiles with, respectively, high, moderate and low levels of the considered variables. Specifically, intolerance of uncertainty, separation anxiety symptoms and negative affectivity had a consistent trend in each profile, thus highlighting that these constructs may coexist in young adults. In addition, the profile with high levels of the above variables was characterized by the highest proportion of women and individuals who had not spent infancy with both parents, suggesting the importance of preventive interventions targeting young adults with these characteristics.

APA citation: Iannattone, S., Spaggiari, S., Di Riso, D., & Bottesi, G. (2024). Profiles of intolerance of uncertainty, separation anxiety, and negative affectivity in emerging adulthood: A person-centered approach. Journal of Affective Disorders, 345, 51-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.108