Relations Between Symptoms, Attachment and Thought Control Strategies in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

The present study aimed at investigating the affects of attachment and thought control strategies in a clinical sample (OCD patients) in Turkey. For these purposes 101 clinical OCD participants completed questionnaires related to research variables. Experience in Close Relationship Scale (Fraley, Waller & Brennan, 2000) to evaluate attachment, Thought Control Strategies Questionnaire (Wells & Davies, 1994) to evaluate thought control and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Goodman, Price & Rassmussen, 1989) to evaluate OCD symptoms were used in this study. A series of hierarchical analyses were done. Findings of the analyses revealed that there was significant relation between attachment, thought control strategies and OCD symptoms. Moreover, It is seen that there is a mediating role of punishment between the anxiety level of attachment and the severity of obsessive symptom, the mediating role of worry control strategy between the anxiety level of attachment and pathological responsibility symptoms, and the mediating role of social control management between the avoidance level of attachment and avoidance symptom severity.To sum up according to results of this study attachment and control strategies are important to understand OCD symptoms. The results were discussed in the light of the related literature and dependent recommendations to the area were given.