Predictors of obsessive–compulsive symptomology: mind wandering about the past and future

Abstract

Purpose Obsessive and compulsive tendencies are known to occur in the general population and involve worry around specific concerns (obsessions) and an urge to resolve the concern with thoughts or behaviours (compulsions). Spontaneous, but not deliberate, mind wandering experiences (when attention turns to internal mentation), have been found to predict obsessive– compulsive tendencies [Seli, P., Risko, E.F., Purdon, C. & Smilek, D. (2017). Intrusive thoughts: linking spontaneous mind wandering and OCD symptomatology. Psychological Research, 81, 392–398. 10.1007/s00426-016-0756-3]. Recent cognitive theory suggests a particular role for future-oriented spontaneous thought in obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms. Thus, we hypothesised that future-oriented rather than past-oriented spontaneous mind wandering would predict OC symptoms, such that more future-oriented mind wandering would be associated with increases in OC symptoms. Methods In an online survey design (nonclinical sample of 104 adults), participants completed three measures: Mind wandering: Spontaneous (MW-S) and Deliberate (MW-D) (Carriere, Seli & Smilek, 2013); Involuntary Autobiographical Memory Inventory (Berntsen, Rubin & Salgado, 2015 ); and Dimensional Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (DOCS) (Abramowitz et al., 2010). We adopted a linear regression approach to examine our hypotheses. Results We provided the first replication of the finding that OC symptoms are predicted by the frequency of spontaneous (but not deliberate) mind wandering, with an underlying positive relationship. Additionally, we found that temporality of spontaneous thought had different predictive effects as a function of the dimension of OC symptoms (i.e., responsibility, unacceptable thoughts, need for symmetry/completeness). Conclusions We found moderate support for our temporality hypothesis, which highlights how the construct of temporality can add to our understanding of OC symptoms. The present study also adds to recent conceptual debates regarding mind wandering. We suggest new cognitive and methodological approaches to enhance the understanding of obsessive–compulsive disorder, opening new avenues for clinical and experimental research.

The Relationship Between Mind Wandering and Vulnerability of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Self-Regulation as a Moderator

“…Obsessive-compulsive tendencies have been found to be associated with experiences of mind wandering (MW) [43]. This connection is explained by the conceptual overlap between these constructs: MW involves a shift of attention towards inner cognitions rather than the external world, which can encompass memories, daydreams, semantic knowledge, and future thoughts.…”

“…These obsessions are characterized by repetitive, persistent, and unwanted thoughts, such as concerns about contamination, which often lead to signif-icant distress and anxiety. Second, compulsions manifest as behaviors or thoughts aimed at alleviating the problem or anxiety [43]. Cognitive models of OCD typically emphasize how ordinary thoughts can evolve into psychopathological obsessions and mental distress.…”

Evaluation of cognitive disengagement syndrome in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder: Clinical implications

“…Recent studies have highlighted a potential link between CDS and mind-wandering and that SCT may represent one characterized by internal distractibility (Becker & Barkley, 2021; Fredrick et al, 2020), and found that CDS symptoms are more significantly linked to greater mind-wandering (Fredrick et al, 2020). Similarly, mind-wandering is also closely related to OCD symptomology, and the intrusive nature of obsessional-compulsive thoughts overlaps with the concept of spontaneous mind-wandering that abruptly into one’s consciousness without any identifiable evoking stimuli (Cole & Tubbs, 2022; Seli et al, 2017). However, according to Christoff and colleagues, mind wandering is a specific state of spontaneous thought that is less constrained and more goal-directed thought compared with rumination and obsessive thoughts.…”

“…Furthermore, mind wandering can be readily distinguished from rumination and other types of thought that are characterized by the strongest levels of automatic constraints, such as obsessive thought (Christoff et al, 2016). Researchers have found that the type and extent of OCD symptoms are predicted by the frequency of spontaneous, but not deliberate, mind-wandering experiences (Cole & Tubbs, 2022; Seli et al, 2017). It has been revealed that mind-wandering confers an increase in obsessive-compulsive thoughts and the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms is positively associated with excessive mind-wandering (Seli et al, 2017; Wang et al, 2021).…”

No evidence of association between autism spectrum quotient and spontaneous mental time travel in a general adult sample performing an online vigilance task

“…MTT research has expanded into clinical populations such as those with depression, anxiety disorders and OCD (Cole & Tubbs, 2022; Gamble et al, 2019; Wu et al, 2015). For example, individuals with Generalised Anxiety Disorder both struggle to imagine positive future events and rate imagined negative events as more likely to occur (Wu et al, 2015).…”