Intrusive Thoughts in Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder and Eating Disorder Patients: A Differential Analysis

Abstract

The present study aims to compare the unwanted intrusions experienced by obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and eating disorder (ED) patients, their appraisals, and their control strategies and analyse which variables predict the intrusions' disruption and emotional disturbance in each group. Seventy-nine OCD and 177 ED patients completed two equivalent self-reports designed to assess OCD-related and ED-related intrusions, their dysfunctional appraisals, and associated control strategies. OCD and ED patients experienced intrusions with comparable frequency and emotional disturbance, but OCD patients experienced greater disruption. Differences appeared between groups on some appraisals and control strategies. Intolerance to uncertainty (OCD group) and thought importance (ED group) predicted their respective emotional disturbance and disruption. Additionally, control importance (OCD group) and thought-action fusion moral (OCD and ED groups) predicted their emotional disturbance. OCD and ED share the presence of intrusions; however, different variables explain why they are disruptive and emotionally disturbing. Cognitive intrusions require further investigation as a transdiagnostic variable.

Obsessional and Eating Disorder‐related Intrusive Thoughts: Differences and Similarities Within and Between Individuals Vulnerable to OCD or to EDs

“…These data, along with the result that EDITs were more frequently experienced than OITs, regardless of the individual's susceptibilities (i.e. within‐groups comparisons), indicate the universality of the eating disorder‐related intrusions, more than the obsessional ones, as observed in other studies (García‐Soriano et al, ; Cooper et al, ; Roncero et al, ). The universality of EDITs probably reflects social pressures about one's figure and appearance in our socio‐cultural context (Striegel‐Moore & Bulik, ).…”

“…By contrast, in participants at risk of EDs, the experience of a highly disturbing intrusive thought has a markedly negative emotional impact only when the content of the intrusion is related to their core fears, that is, contents related to dieting, weight and figure. Nonetheless, the data about more dysfunctional appraisals of the UIC by the participants in the two risk groups, compared with the no‐risk individuals, support suggestions from cognitive conceptualizations of OCD and EDs that these appraisals play a key role in the escalation from normal to clinical unwanted intrusive thoughts, images and impulses (García‐Soriano et al, , ; OCCWG, , ; Roncero et al, , ; Salkovskis, ).…”

The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Group Therapy in Reducing Negative Automatic Thoughts and Dysfunctional Attitudes in Cancer Patients

“…It can be proposed that MBCT has reduced negative automatic thoughts and dysfunctional attitudes in the members of the experimental group at the post-test stage in comparison to the members of the control group. This finding is in conformity with the study results achieved by Garcia et al [26], Taimori et al [12], Safa et al [13], Omidi et al [27], Yang et al [14], Abbott et al [15], Foley et al [11] and Hofman et al [16].…”

Intolerance of Uncertainty in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

“…Six studies investigated IU in mixed clinical ED groups (Boisseau, Thompson‐Brenner, Pratt, Farchione, & Barlow, ; Garcia‐Soriano, Roncero, Perpina, & Belloch, ; Konstantellou, Campbell, Eisler, Simic, & Treasure, ; Renjan, McEvoy, Handley, & Fursland, ; Stewart, ; Waller & Marcoulides, ). Overall, there was evidence of elevated IU in EDs, with levels similar to that of OCD and GAD (Garcia‐Soriano et al , ; Konstantellou et al , ). Results suggest that high levels of IU in EDs are not solely due to comorbidity with GAD (Konstantellou et al , ).…”