Have you ever sat by the phone, waiting to get test results from your doctor for you or a loved one, only to discover that when the call came you were hesitant to pick it up? What if it was bad news? For a second, you might have even debated whether not knowing would be better than confirming something is really wrong…

Uncertainty is an important concept for us health communicators because it plays such a big role in people’s decision-making about whether or not to seek important health information.

Today we are going to dive into the magical world of health communication theory, but don’t worry, I will keep it short and simple by providing you with just one theory that has been studied a lot in our field and that could be useful for you to know.

Uncertainty – Health’s Friend or Foe?

Generally, Americans are not very good at handling uncertainty. Ours is a culture of knowledge and evidence, and if we are lacking information we tend to feel pretty uncomfortable; however, sometimes, if we think the missing information could be bad, we might prefer to stay uncertain.

Communication researchers have been very busy trying to figure out how and why uncertainty effects our health. Specifically, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Walid Afifi who created the Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM). Yes, I know it’s a mouthful, but I promise to break it down for you!

Before getting to it, let’s define a couple key terms:

• Uncertainty: When a situation is unclear or unpredictable or when information is unavailable or inconsistent.

• Uncertainty Discrepancy: When the amount of uncertainty you have is more or less than you care to feel.

Consider these examples:

• You have random allergic reactions to some food, but don’t have confirmation on what exactly is making you sick, so you are nervous to eat anything at all.
• You think you might have an STI and are waiting for test results only to find out your doctor is on vacation and you’ll have to wait another week to get them.

If you think about it, nearly every time you go to the doctor it’s because you are uncertain about a symptom you are having.

But there are also people who resist going to the doctor, especially when it seems like something could really be wrong.

So, what’s the difference between these two people? Both are responding to uncertainty but in opposite ways.

Well according to TMIM, this is because uncertainty discrepancy can cause you to feel a variety of emotions, and depending on the emotion you feel, you will either react by seeking or avoiding information about your health condition.

How Emotions Rule Our Actions

The theory states that uncertainty can trigger several negative emotions including fear and anxiety.

These emotions cause you to evaluate the pros and cons of an information-seeking health strategy (such as going to the doctor) and to determine whether you have the ability to handle the information once you get it.

This part of the theory is very important because if you don’t feel like you or the doctor will be able to effectively communicate about your health issue,

will lead to

What this means is that we aren’t really trying to manage our uncertainty, but rather we are trying to manage our intense emotional reaction to uncertainty.

This is an important distinction, because if we are reacting unknowingly to our emotions, we are less likely to think and behave logically.

But luckily, uncertainty can actually trigger one more emotion: Hope.

When people let go of the “knowledge is power” mindset, they may find uncertainty to be hopeful, especially when it could mean hope for survival or recovery from illness.

In this way, holding onto uncertainty can help keep your spirits lifted to do what is necessary to care for yourself or a loved one, especially if you are dealing with a chronic health condition.

Take-Away Tips

• Life is full of uncertainty; learning how to better cope with it will help both our emotional and physical health.
• Be aware of when you are feeling uncertain about a health issue.
• Try to identify what emotion(s) you are feeling.
• If you are avoiding information out of fear, recognize that this is not logical thinking, and could be harming you.
• Seek help from others including your family or doctor if you are unsure what steps to take to gain more information.
• It’s okay if you are unsure what to do next. Ask questions to empower yourself.
• Be your own advocate.

To find out what Dr. Afifi says is the one thing that will help you manage even large amounts of uncertainty, check out his TED Talk below