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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
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Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning
Published on: August 29, 2025
The clinician's helpful and hindering uncertainty scale (CHUS). Development, factor structure, and initial validation
Signe Hjelen Stige1, Michael Helge Rønnestad2, Hanne Weie Oddli2
1Department of Clinical and Biological Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Summary
A new scale, the Clinician Helpful and Hindering Uncertainty Scale (CHUS), effectively measures therapist tolerance for uncertainty across all training levels. This tool aids in developing crucial clinical competence in managing incomplete knowledge.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychotherapy Training
Background:
- Tolerance for uncertainty is a key clinical skill but remains understudied.
- Existing measures of therapist uncertainty tolerance require clinical experience, limiting their use in training.
- A validated, accessible tool is needed to assess and foster this competence throughout clinical development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the Clinician Helpful and Hindering Uncertainty Scale (CHUS).
- To create a measure of uncertainty tolerance suitable for all stages of clinical training.
- To assess the psychometric properties and utility of the CHUS.
Main Methods:
- Developed 68 items based on conceptual clarification, refined to 30 items via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a sample of 376 therapists and students.
- Assessed construct and concurrent validity by correlating CHUS scores with measures of self-efficacy, intolerance of uncertainty, self-doubt, and coping.
- Explored training utility through qualitative interviews with 15 participants.
Main Results:
- CFA confirmed a robust 30-item, six-factor structure for the CHUS.
- The scale demonstrated good internal consistency (McDonald's ω = .74–.91) and expected correlations with related psychological constructs.
- Qualitative data indicated the CHUS promotes self-reflection and is perceived as beneficial for professional development.
Conclusions:
- The CHUS exhibits promising psychometric properties for measuring clinical uncertainty.
- This multidimensional scale is potentially valuable for both research and training in psychotherapy.
- The CHUS can support the development of essential clinical competence in managing uncertainty.
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