Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with particular cognitive processes, such as beliefs about the importance of intrusive thoughts. The present study examined the explanatory power of guilt sensitivity to OCD symptom dimensions after controlling for well-established cognitive predictors.Methods: 164 patients with OCD completed self-reported measures of OCD and depressive symptoms, obsessive beliefs, and guilt sensitivity. Bivariate correlations were examined, and latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to generate groups based on symptom severity scores. Differences in guilt sensitivity were examined across latent profiles.Results: Guilt sensitivity was most strongly associated with unacceptable thoughts and responsibility for harm OCD symptoms, and moderately with symmetry. After controlling for depression and obsessive beliefs, guilt sensitivity added explanatory power to the prediction of unacceptable thoughts. LPA identified 3 profiles; profile -based subgroups significantly differed from one another in terms of guilt sensitivity, depression, and obsessive beliefs.Conclusions: Guilt sensitivity is relevant to various OCD symptom dimensions. Above and beyond depression and obsessive beliefs, guilt sensitivity contributed to the explanation of repugnant obsessions. Theory, research, and treatment implications are discussed.

BackgroundA growing body of evidence suggest individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are at an increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (SITB). However, the literature on suicidality in OCD remains limited. Thus, the present study examined the prevalence and predictors of suicidality in a sample of adults seeking treatment for OCD.MethodsA total of 687 patients seeking care through a network of intensive treatment centers consented to participate. Participants completed validated self-report questionnaires of depression and OCD symptom severity, as well as psychodiagnostic interviews.ResultsAlmost half of the participants reported current suicidal ideation. The presence of a comorbid diagnosis was associated with increased likelihood of more severe SITB. Specifically, the presence of a co-occurring anxiety, depressive, or bipolar mood disorder predicted increased severity of SITB. In addition, obsession severity was positively associated with suicidality, while compulsion severity negatively predicted the severity of SITB. Regarding OCD symptom dimensions, repugnant thoughts emerged as a significant predictor of SITB severity.ConclusionsSITB is a prevalent concern in treatment-seeking patients with OCD. Clinicians are encouraged to assess and consider the treatment implications of SITB, particularly among patients with co-occurring mood and anxiety disorders, or symptoms involving taboo thought content. Future directions and theoretical considerations are discussed.

BackgroundDepressive and obsessive-compulsive (OCD) symptoms often co-occur and a number of possible explanations for this co-occurrence have been explored, including shared biological and psychosocial risk factors. Network approaches have offered a novel hypothesis for the link between depression and OCD: functional inter-relationships across the symptoms of these conditions. The few network studies in this area have relied largely on item, rather than process-level constructs, and have not examined relationships dimensionally.MethodsNetwork analytic methods were applied to data from 463 treatment-seeking adults with OCD. Patients completed self-report measures of OCD and depression. Factor analysis was used to derive processes (i.e., nodes) to include in the network. Networks were computed, and centrality, bridge, and stability statistics examined.ResultsNetworks showed positive relations among specific OCD and depressive symptoms. Obsessions (particularly repugnant thoughts), negative affectivity, and cognitive-somatic changes (e.g., difficulty concentrating) were central to the network. Unique relations were observed between symmetry OCD symptoms and cognitive-somatic changes. No direct link between harm-related OCD symptoms and depression was observed.ConclusionsOur results bring together prior findings, suggesting that both negative affective and psychomotor changes are important to consider in examining the relationship between OCD and depression. Increased consideration of heterogeneity in the content of OCD symptoms is key to improving clinical conceptualizations, particularly when considering the co-occurrence of OCD with other disorders.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), first detected in December of 2019 and declared a global pandemic in March of 2020, continues to pose a serious threat to public health and safety worldwide. Many individuals report anxiety in response to this threat, and at high levels, such anxiety can result in adverse mental health outcomes and maladaptive behavioral responses that have consequences for the health of communities more broadly. Predictors of excessive anxiety in response to COVID-19 are understudied. Accordingly, the present study examined psychological factors that predict more intense COVID-19-related anxiety. 438 community members completed measures assessing COVID-19-related anxiety as well as psychological variables hypothesized to predict anxious responding to the threat of COVID-19. As expected, obsessive-compulsive symptoms related to contamination, the fear of arousal-related body sensations (i.e., anxiety sensitivity), and body vigilance each predicted more severe anxiety related to the pandemic. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms related to responsibility for causing harm also emerged as a predictor. Study limitations and implications are discussed.

It is well established that the transition to new parenthood is associated with the onset or worsening of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS); however, less is known regarding specific risk factors associated with the development of postpartum OCS. The present prospective study examined experiential avoidance and interpretations of intrusive thoughts as predictors of the development of postpartum OCS in first-time mothers and fathers. Participants were 64 expecting parents (33 mothers and 31 partners-all fathers) who were followed from the 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy into the postpartum. All completed measures of postpartum OCS, experiential avoidance, and interpretations of intrusive thoughts. Experiential avoidance and the pre-existing tendency to misinterpret intrusive thoughts were predictors of infant-related OCS in the early postpartum, but not at six months postpartum. These findings provide support for particular psychological risk factors in the development of infant-related OCS among first-time mothers and fathers. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.