The role of feared self and inferential confusion in obsessive compulsive symptoms

Abstract

While negative self-views have been implied in many theories regarding obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), empirical research on feared self—concerns that one may be bad, immoral, or insane—has only recently emerged. The current study aimed to investigate the role of feared self as a potential mechanism in obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Non-clinical participants (n = 188; 49% female; Mage = 32.94, SD = 11.94) completed the Inferential Process Task (IPT) where participants were presented with OCD related vignettes and asked to rate the likelihood of negative consequences and their urge to act in such scenarios. Participants also completed questionnaire measuring feared self, OCD symptoms and inferential confusion. As previous versions of the IPT have been criticised for conflating threat and sensory information, these factors were also disentangled in the research. It was found that feared self predicts greater obsessional doubt and urge to act in obsessive-compulsive relevant situations. These findings replicated and extended previous research suggesting that OCD is related to the vulnerability to feared possibilities.