TY - JOUR
T1 - Rumination about obsessive symptoms and mood maintains obsessive-compulsive symptoms and depressed mood
T2 - An experimental study.
AU - Wahl, Karina
AU - van den Hout, Marcel
AU - Heinzel, Carlotta V.
AU - Kollárik, Martin
AU - Meyer, Andrea
AU - Benoy, Charles
AU - Berberich, Götz
AU - Domschke, Katharina
AU - Gloster, Andrew
AU - Gradwohl, Gassan
AU - Hofecker, Maria
AU - Jähne, Andreas
AU - Koch, Stefan
AU - Külz, Anne Katrin
AU - Moggi, Franz
AU - Poppe, Christine
AU - Riedel, Andreas
AU - Rufer, Michael
AU - Stierle, Christian
AU - Voderholzer, Ulrich
AU - Walther, Sebastian
AU - Lieb, Roselind
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Psychological Association
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - Rumination is common in individuals diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). We sought to clarify the causal role of rumination in the immediate and intermediate maintenance of obsessive–compulsive symptoms and depressed mood. In total, 145 individuals diagnosed with OCD were asked to read aloud their most distressing obsessive thought (OT). OT activation was followed by a thought-monitoring phase in which frequency of the OT was assessed. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three experimental conditions: rumination about obsessive–compulsive symptoms, rumination about mood, or distraction. Ratings of distress, urge to neutralize, and depressed mood and frequency ratings of the OTs were taken before and after the experimental manipulation. Obsessive–compulsive symptom severity and affect were assessed 2, 4, and 24 hr after the laboratory experiment using ecological momentary assessment. Compared to distraction, both types of rumination resulted in an immediate reduced decline of distress, urge to neutralize, depressed mood, and frequency of OTs, with medium to large effect sizes. Rumination about obsessive–compulsive symptoms did not have a stronger immediate effect than rumination about mood. Rumination about obsessive–compulsive symptoms increased obsessive–compulsive symptom severity and reduced positive affect compared to rumination about mood 24 hr later. Regarding negative affect, there was no difference in effect between the two types of rumination in the intermediate term. To conclude, rumination in OCD has an immediate and intermediate maintaining effect on obsessive–compulsive symptoms and mood and may require additional psychological interventions that supplement cognitive behavioral therapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) General Scientific Summary—Results suggest that in individuals diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder, ruminations about the symptoms and about mood maintained distress associated with an obsessive thought, frequency of the obsessive thought, urge to neutralize, and depressed mood. The impact of rumination was particularly strong for distress and depressed mood, and the causal effects of rumination about obsessive–compulsive symptoms were present 24 hr later.
AB - Rumination is common in individuals diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). We sought to clarify the causal role of rumination in the immediate and intermediate maintenance of obsessive–compulsive symptoms and depressed mood. In total, 145 individuals diagnosed with OCD were asked to read aloud their most distressing obsessive thought (OT). OT activation was followed by a thought-monitoring phase in which frequency of the OT was assessed. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three experimental conditions: rumination about obsessive–compulsive symptoms, rumination about mood, or distraction. Ratings of distress, urge to neutralize, and depressed mood and frequency ratings of the OTs were taken before and after the experimental manipulation. Obsessive–compulsive symptom severity and affect were assessed 2, 4, and 24 hr after the laboratory experiment using ecological momentary assessment. Compared to distraction, both types of rumination resulted in an immediate reduced decline of distress, urge to neutralize, depressed mood, and frequency of OTs, with medium to large effect sizes. Rumination about obsessive–compulsive symptoms did not have a stronger immediate effect than rumination about mood. Rumination about obsessive–compulsive symptoms increased obsessive–compulsive symptom severity and reduced positive affect compared to rumination about mood 24 hr later. Regarding negative affect, there was no difference in effect between the two types of rumination in the intermediate term. To conclude, rumination in OCD has an immediate and intermediate maintaining effect on obsessive–compulsive symptoms and mood and may require additional psychological interventions that supplement cognitive behavioral therapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) General Scientific Summary—Results suggest that in individuals diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder, ruminations about the symptoms and about mood maintained distress associated with an obsessive thought, frequency of the obsessive thought, urge to neutralize, and depressed mood. The impact of rumination was particularly strong for distress and depressed mood, and the causal effects of rumination about obsessive–compulsive symptoms were present 24 hr later.
KW - experimental studies
KW - obsessive– compulsive disorder (OCD)
KW - rumination
KW - unwanted intrusive thoughts
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117623305&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/abn0000677
DO - 10.1037/abn0000677
M3 - Article
C2 - 34472881
AN - SCOPUS:85117623305
SN - 0021-843X
VL - 130
SP - 435
EP - 442
JO - Journal of Abnormal Psychology
JF - Journal of Abnormal Psychology
IS - 5
ER -