New York, March 20 (IANS): Scientists have found the internet-based Chinese language version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), which is used to evaluate a person's fear of the unknown, is as good as the traditional paper-and-pencil test.

A team of researchers from Beijing Forestry University, the Hong Kong Institute of Education and Beijing Normal University checked the validity of the internet-based Chinese IUS and concluded that it is "excellent within-test consistency and re-test reliability".

Their analysis, described in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Networking, said the online test is appropriate for use, and is comparable to the paper-and-pencil version in terms of the psychological and personality-related traits it reveals.

The tests are useful in assessing psychological factors that may be predictive of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and a range of other negative coping strategies.