Intolerance of ambiguity and endogenous psychosis from a cross-cultural perspective Ambiguitatsintoleranz bei endogenen psychosen aus transkultureller Sicht

Abstract

This study tries to determine the relationship between intolerance of ambiguity and different psychiatric disorders classified according to DSM-III-R criteria in two different countries. Inpatients from the psychiatric department of the Universidad de Chile and the psychiatric department of the University of Heidelberg (Germany) with unipolar, bipolar or schizophrenic disorders, as well as normal controls in both cultures completed the Kischkel Intolerance of Ambiguity Scale. The group of unipolar depressive inpatients showed significantly higher scores in both samples. Among the Chilean schizophrenic patients, differences between unipolar and bipolar disorders were seen only in the Chilean sample. Differences between unipolar depressive and schizophrenic patients were evident in the German sample only. The psychopathological and nosological significance of these findings in unipolar depressives is discussed.