Development and Validation of the Revised Chinese Version of Intolerance of Uncertainty Index-A for Children: A Large-Scale Study Among Chinese Adolescents

Purpose Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental disorders. However, reliable and valid measurements of IU among Chinese adolescents are still lacking. This study aimed to develop and validate the Intolerance of Uncertainty Index-A for Children (IUI-A-C) in a large sample of Chinese adolescents. Methods A total of 108,540 adolescents provided data regarding sociodemographic information, IU, and other constructs theoretically related to IU via an online platform. Item analyses, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, validity analyses, reliability analyses, and measurement invariance analyses were used to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the IUI-A-C (CIUI-A-C). Results Eight items of the CIUI-A-C with poor psychometric properties were discarded, yielding the revised 7-item CIUI-A-C (RCIUI-A-C). Factor analyses revealed and supported a one-factor structure for the RCIUI-A-C, which also evidenced robust reliability as well as satisfactory convergent validity. Furthermore, measurement invariance analyses indicated that the one-factor structure was stable across gender and age. Conclusions The RCIUI-A-C is a valid and reliable measurement for Chinese adolescents of different genders and ages, which allows for efficient and rapid evaluation of IU.