Perceived Emotional Threat and OCD Symptoms in a Nonclinical Sample: Examining Group Differences Between People with High vs. Low OCD symptoms
T. Accinni, P. Cordellieri, A. Quaglieri, G. D. Kotzalidis, M. Panfili, A. Maraone, M. Pasquini, A. BuzzancaIntroduction
Research highlights the role of emotional processing in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This study examines differences in perceived emotional threat among individuals with varying obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptom levels in a nonclinical sample.
Objectives
To examine Perceptions of Threats from Emotion Questionnaire (PTEQ, 2006) subscale differences between groups with lower and higher OC symptoms, controlling for anxiety, responsibility, somatic awareness, thought–action fusion, education, and age.
Methods
Participants (n=460) completed the PTEQ, Padua Inventory (PI, 1988), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI, 1988), Responsibility Attitude Scale (RAS, 2000), Self-Awareness Questionnaire (SAQ, 2014), and Thought–Action Fusion Scale (TAF, 1996). Participants were split in two groups (below/above mean), and PTEQ subscale differences were examined controlling for BAI, RAS, SAQ, TAF, education, and age.
Results
A statistically significant difference was found in PTEQ subscale scores based on participants’ PI scores, controlling for covariate measures and demographic factors (Wilks’ Λ=0.700, F(8,233)=12.47,
p
<.001; see Table 1). Covariate measures and demographics also significantly affected responses across emotional subscales (Table 2). Univariate tests showed significant group differences on Sadness (F=65.29,
p
<.001), Happiness (F=31.59,
p
<.001), Anger (F=34.10,
p
<.001), Fear (F=34.75,
p
<.001), Disgust (F=34.07,
p
<.001), Guilt (F=50.02,
p
<.001), Lust (F=22.41,
p
<.001), and Strong Emotion (F=60.73,
p
<.001).
Multivariate Tests for Group Differences on PTEQ Subscales Table 1. Long description.