Abstract

Background and objectives
Cognitive theories of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suggest that dysfunctional beliefs influence symptoms. However, well-established belief domains do not fully explain OCD symptomatology, suggesting other cognitive mechanisms may be involved. An additional belief domain which may play a role in OCD is beliefs about losing control. Indeed, these beliefs have been found to be associated with OCD symptoms. However, the relationships between beliefs about losing control and other OCD phenomena, including other relevant dysfunctional beliefs, is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between beliefs about losing control and appraisals hypothesized to be relevant to OCD.

Methods
A total of 163 participants completed the experimental protocol, wherein they received false (positive or negative) feedback regarding the likelihood they may lose control and completed a vignette task asking them to read hypothetical scenarios relevant to OCD concerns (checking, and aggressive thoughts). Vignettes were followed by questions and prompts used to measure OCD-relevant appraisals.

Results
Based on MANOVAs, beliefs about losing control had a significant impact on appraisals in the checking, F (151) = 5.55, p = .001, and aggressive thoughts, F (151) = 2.898, p = .037, vignettes. However, planned comparison indicated that in the aggressive thoughts vignettes, this effect was in the opposite direction than was hypothesized.

Limitations
The losing control induction may have inadvertently influenced participants’ beliefs about the utility of thought control.

Conclusions
Findings provide preliminary evidence for an association between beliefs about losing control and OCD-relevant appraisals.

Introduction

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a debilitating disorder with an estimated prevalence of approximately 2% (Ruscio et al., 2010). OCD is comprised of obsessions and/or compulsions that are time-consuming, and that cause significant distress and/or impairment for affected individuals (APA, 2013). Obsessions are unwanted repetitive intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses that cause discomfort or distress (APA, 2013; Rachman, 1997). Compulsions are repetitive overt or covert behaviour, performed to alleviate the distress associated with intrusive thoughts, and/or to prevent negative events from occurring (APA, 2013; Rachman & Hodgson, 1980). OCD is often chronic and associated with a variety of unfavourable outcomes including social difficulties, and occupational impairment (Abramowitz & Jacoby, 2015; Eisen et al., 2006, 2010).

Cognitive theories (Rachman, 1997, 1998; Salkovskis, 1985) suggest that OCD develops due to misinterpretations of common intrusive thoughts as overly significant which leads individuals to engage in compulsive behaviours in an attempt to prevent negative outcomes. The likelihood that intrusive thoughts are misinterpreted as personally significant is proposed to be increased by specific dysfunctional beliefs (e.g., Frost & Steketee, 2002). Early research on the influence of maladaptive beliefs in OCD focused largely on beliefs pertaining to inflated responsibility, with findings indicating that greater perceived responsibility was associated with greater obsessive compulsive symptoms (e.g., Ladouceur et al., 1995; Ladouceur et al., 1996; Leonhart & Radomsky, 2019; Lopatka & Rachman, 1995; Salkovskis, 1985). The Obsessive Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (OCCWG) later identified six beliefs which clustered into three domains: 1) responsibility and threat overestimation, 2) perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty, and 3) importance of and control over thoughts (ICT), proposed to be relevant to OCD (OCCWG, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005; Frost & Steketee, 2002). However, not all individuals with OCD endorse high levels of these dysfunctional beliefs suggesting that additional cognitive mechanisms may be involved in the development and maintenance of this disorder (Taylor et al., 2006).

Results

۳٫۱٫ Data screening

Neither univariate nor multivariate analysis indicated any outliers, and as such, all data were retained. Variables of interest were normally distributed (i.e., kurtosis < |10|, skewness < |3|; Kline, 2016), and other assumptions of MANOVA (i.e., homogeneity of variance and multicollinearity) were also met. Eight participants were excluded from subsequent analyses because they did not believe the feedback provided after the bogus cognitive task. There were no baseline differences on demographic characteristics or on the questionnaires of interest (see Table 2). The mean scores on the questionnaires were comparable to previous studies which have used undergraduate samples (e.g., Kia-Keating et al., 2018; Kelly-Turner & Radomsky, 2020; OCCWG, 2005; Osman et al., 2012; Thordarson et al., 2004).