The mediating role of metacognitive variables in the relationship between Thought-Action Fusion and obsessive-compulsive symptomatology

Abstract

Diverse studies support the central role of Thought-Action Fusion (TAF) and other metacognitive variables in the understanding of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptomatology. However, a more detailed study of the involvement of these variables is needed. This article seeks to assess the possible mediating role of the factors of the Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ) in the relationship between TAF and OCD symptoms both in clinical and non-clinical samples. A cross-sectional design was used in which 120 participants, divided into three groups (two clinical and one non-clinical), completed the questionnaires assessing the constructs of interest. The mediational findings generally supported the proposed mediation model. Specifically, the mediational analyses focused on negative beliefs and the need to control (metacognitive factors of the MCQ) showed that MCQ Negative beliefs mediated the effects of TAF-Total and TAF factors (except for the TAF-Moral) on OCD symptomatology in the OCD group. The MCQ Need to control was non-significant as a mediator of the relationships between TAF and OCD. However, it was observed that this mediation approached significance, with considerable effect sizes. In the clinical-control group, the analyses showed that MCQ Negative beliefs mediated the effects of TAF-Likelihood-Oneself on OCD symptoms. In the remaining group, neither MCQ Negative beliefs nor MCQ Need to control were found to be significant mediators. It is generally concluded that certain beliefs, such as TAF, can evolve toward more complex metacognitive beliefs, which ultimately lead to the development of OCD symptoms.