Does nonacceptance of emotions and the fear of guilt influence the association between trait guilt and obsessive-compulsive symptoms? A moderation analysis in a non-clinical sample

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective Although cognitive-behavioural theory suggests a link between guilt and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the evidence is mixed. Given that how we relate to our emotions can determine behavioural responses, it is possible that high fear of guilt and a nonacceptance of emotions might increase the effects of guilt on OCD, and therefore explain mixed findings in previous research. Method We investigated whether fear of guilt and nonacceptance of emotions moderated the association between trait guilt and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a non-clinical online MTurk sample (n = 231) recruited from cloudresearch.com. Participants completed measures of OCD, trait guilt, fear of guilt, nonacceptance of emotions, depression, and anxiety. Results We found that fear of guilt and nonacceptance of emotions, but not trait guilt, significantly predicted obsessive-compulsive symptoms even after controlling for depression and anxiety. Nonacceptance of emotions moderated the relationship between trait guilt and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, however fear of guilt did not. Simple slopes analyses showed a significant positive association between trait guilt and obsessive-compulsive symptoms for individuals with high nonacceptance of emotions. Conclusion Results support findings that nonacceptance of emotions, and to a lesser extent fear of guilt, play important roles in subclinical OCD. Furthermore, they suggest that a stronger acceptance of emotions may be linked to more adaptive experiences of guilt and reductions in obsessive-compulsive behaviour.