Adult uncertainty in illness: a critical review of research

Nursing interest in the uncertainty associated with life-threatening illnesses and their treatment technology is growing. Nurse investigators have begun to study variables that precede and influence this uncertainty, as well as how persons appraise, cope with, and adapt to uncertainty. This paper reviews and examines data from both quantitative and qualitative nursing studies of adult illness-related uncertainty published after 1980. Findings demonstrate that uncertainty is a pervasive stressful accompaniment of illness and its treatment that influences persons' coping and adaptive responses. Implications for nursing practice and future research are explored.