The White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI) was developed to assess chronic thought suppression, whereas the Thought Control Questionnaire (TCQ) measures different strategies to suppress unpleasant intrusive thoughts. The present study examines the latent factor structure of these instruments in a sample of 540 normal subjects using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Regarding the WBSI, the CFAs indicated that the tested models did not provide a good fit for the data. Data analysis showed that the TCQ with five factors and 30 items did not reach a reasonable fit. Therefore, in order to present a five-factor structure with an adequate fit, those items with problematic factor loadings were eliminated. Correlational analyses indicated that the WBSI had a significant association with depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and pathological worry, whereas only two TCQ subscales, punishment and worry, were related to these psychopathological symptoms.

This study explores the frequency of the appearance of intrusive thoughts in normal people, as well their association with cognitive appraisals and control strategies. A total of 336 subjects completed the Spanish adaptation of the Obsessional Intrusions Inventory-Revised (ROII), designed by Purdon and Clark (1993, 1994a, 1994b). Most of the subjects (99.4%) reported experiencing intrusive thoughts occasionally, but only 13% reported having them with some frequency. The intrusions were included in two factors: aggression, sexually and socially inappropriate behaviours, and doubts, checking, and cleanliness. The frequency of appearance of the most upsetting intrusive thought was associated with: the likelihood/probability bias, the need to control the thoughts, and neutralizing strategies. Nevertheless, the unpleasantness was associated with the morality bias and a broad range of control strategies. These results are discussed in relation to the different roles that the appraisal and the thought control responses play, both regarding the persistence as well as the unpleasantness associated with the most upsetting intrusions.