Symposia
Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders
Jonathan Abramowitz, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Jonathan Abramowitz, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Samantha N. Hellberg, M.A.
Graduate student
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chase M. DuBois, BA
Clinical Research Coordinator
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Megan Butcher, B.S.
Research Coordinator
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Nicholas S. Myers, M.A.
Doctoral Student
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Durham, North Carolina
Heidi J. Ojalehto, B.S.
Student
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Bradley Riemann, Ph.D.
Chief Clinical Officer
Rogers Behavioral Health
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Carly Rodriquez, BA
Research Assistant
UNC-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Cognitive-behavioral models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) posit that obsessions and compulsions arise when normally occurring intrusive thoughts are misinterpreted as highly threatening/significant, resulting in distress and ritualistic behaviors to try to control this distress. A set of “obsessive beliefs” has been found to predict the severity of OCD symptoms; however, obsessive beliefs do not fully explain OCD symptoms in statistical models. Accordingly, it is important to look to additional factors that might enhance the explanatory value of conceptual models. Guilt sensitivity, which involves overestimating the negative consequences of guilt and underestimating one’s ability to tolerate feeling guilty, is a possible additional factor. Initial research shows that guilt sensitivity is associated with OCD symptoms—particularly those involving responsibility for harm and those involving repugnant thoughts. The present study examined how well guilt sensitivity, relative to obsessive beliefs, predicted certain types of OCD symptoms. On the basis of previous work, we hypothesized that guilt sensitivity would add significant explained variance to regression models using obsessive beliefs to predict OCD symptoms related to responsibility for harm and unacceptable obsessive thoughts, but not contamination or symmetry symptoms.
164 treatment-seeking OCD patients completed measures of guilt sensitivity, obsessive beliefs, OCD symptoms, and depressive symptoms. Although obsessive beliefs explained significance variance in OCD symptoms related to responsibility for harm, the addition of guilt sensitivity did not significance increase the variance explained. For unacceptable obsessional thoughts, however, guilt sensitivity added to the explanatory value of obsessive beliefs. These results suggest that guilt sensitivity may play a role in presentations of OCD characterized by repugnant obsessional thoughts about violence, blasphemy, sex, and immorality. Perhaps existing cognitive models should be revised accordingly. The specific role of guilt sensitivity will be discussed, along with the need for future research to further clarify these findings.