This Article Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0145445509344217v1 0145445509344217v2 0145445509344217v3 33/6/763    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Moritz, S. Articles by Pohl, R. F. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Moritz, S. Articles by Pohl, R. F. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Biased Processing of Threat-Related Information Rather Than Knowledge Deficits Contributes to Overestimation of Threat in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

¹ University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf
² University of Mannheim

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: moritz{at}uke.uni-hamburg.de.

	Abstract

Overestimation of threat (OET) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The present study deconstructed this complex concept and looked for specific deviances in OCD relative to controls. A total of 46 participants with OCD and 51 nonclinical controls were asked: (a) to estimate the incidence rate for 20 events relating to washing, checking, positive, or negative incidents. Furthermore, they were required (b) to assess their personal vulnerability to experience each event type, and (c) to judge the degree of accompanying worry. Later, participants were confronted with the correct statistics and asked (d) to rate their degree of worry versus relief. OCD participants did not provide higher estimates for OCD-related events than healthy participants, thus rendering a knowledge deficit unlikely. The usual unrealistic optimism bias was found in both groups but was markedly attenuated in OCD participants. OCD-related events worried OCD participants more than controls. Confrontation with the correct statistics appeased OCD participants less than healthy participants. Even in the case of large initial overestimations for OCD-related events, correct information appeased OCD participants significantly less than healthy participants. Our results suggest that OCD is not associated with a knowledge deficit regarding OCD-related events but that patients feel personally more vulnerable than nonclinical controls.

First published on September 23, 2009, doi:10.1177/0145445509344217

Behavior Modification 2009;33:763.

A more recent version of this article appeared on November 1, 2009
This version was published on October 12, 2009


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?