{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T15:11:06Z","timestamp":1782313866897,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,29]],"date-time":"2025-12-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766966400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001659","name":"German Research Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["458628023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["458628023"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001659","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Bonn"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: This study aimed to validate the Ambivalence and Uncertainty Scale (AUS), developed to measure dispositional ambivalence, ambivalence intolerance, and decision-making difficulties, particularly among healthcare professionals during high-stress situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Cross-sectional data from 1240 German healthcare professionals were analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed to evaluate the scale\u2019s dimensionality, while internal consistency and construct validity, including convergent and divergent validity, were assessed using correlations with relevant psychological constructs. Results: The EFA revealed a unidimensional structure explaining 64.33% of variance, indicating a single underlying trait. The AUS demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach\u2019s \u03b1 = 0.86) and strong convergent validity, evidenced by significant positive correlations with anxiety and depressive symptoms (r = 0.63) and burnout (r = 0.48), and a negative correlation with sense of coherence (r = \u22120.60). Divergent validity was supported through minimal correlation with unrelated constructs such as fatigue (r = \u22120.02) and a moderate correlation with work\u2013family conflict (r = 0.31). The AUS effectively captures dispositional ambivalence and uncertainty tolerance, highlighting its relevance in psychological adaptation and resilience among professionals in stressful environments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23010046","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,31]],"date-time":"2025-12-31T16:08:00Z","timestamp":1767197280000},"page":"46","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Validation of the Ambivalence and Uncertainty Scale"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Julia-Katharina","family":"Matthias","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik und Poliklinik f\u00fcr Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit\u00e4t Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andreas M.","family":"Baranowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik und Poliklinik f\u00fcr Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit\u00e4t Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna C.","family":"Culmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik und Poliklinik f\u00fcr Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit\u00e4t Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Simone C.","family":"T\u00fcttenberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik und Poliklinik f\u00fcr Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit\u00e4t Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yesim","family":"Erim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychosomatische und Psychotherapeutische Abteilung, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universit\u00e4t Erlangen-N\u00fcrnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eva","family":"Morawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychosomatische und Psychotherapeutische Abteilung, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universit\u00e4t Erlangen-N\u00fcrnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Petra","family":"Beschoner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik f\u00fcr Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Klinikum Christophsbad G\u00f6ppingen, 73035 G\u00f6ppingen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucia","family":"Jerg-Bretzke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik f\u00fcr Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christian","family":"Albus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik und Poliklinik f\u00fcr Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum K\u00f6ln, 50937 K\u00f6ln, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sabine","family":"Mogwitz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik und Poliklinik f\u00fcr Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4212-9692","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Franziska","family":"Geiser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik und Poliklinik f\u00fcr Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit\u00e4t Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"416","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2023.02.029","article-title":"The relationship between personal-job fit and physical and mental health among medical staff during the two years after COVID-19 pandemic: Emotional labor and burnout as mediators","volume":"327","author":"Wen","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. 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