Uncertainty and mental health: A qualitative scoping review

Abstract

Reports highlight that the ‘golden age of stability and predictability’ in the latter half of the twentieth century has abruptly drawn to a close and been replaced by a phase of great uncertainty. Quantitative research has established an association between high levels of uncertainty with worsening mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and psychological distress. Important research gaps remain including how people experience and understand uncertainty; what coping mechanisms people use to navigate and manage uncertainties; and what mental health and psychosocial support services are available to those who need them. This paper aims to fill these knowledge gaps through a qualitative scoping review. Our results show the relationship between uncertainty and mental health is co-constitutive and dynamic as people draw on various personal, social and cultural resources to manage and deal with their situations and people’s ability to cope with uncertainties are linked to the environment and social contexts in which they live and which are in a constant state of flux. We recommend that mental health care and social support responses to experiences of uncertainty be promoted at all social-ecological levels and involve all relevant stakeholders beyond the medical sector.