Differences and similarities between obsessive intrusive thoughts and worry in a non-clinical population: study 2

Differences between obsessions and worry have been clearly demonstrated on several variables [Langlois, F., Freeston, M. H., & Ladouceur, R. (2000). D ifferences and similarities between obsessive intrusive thoughts and worry in a non-clinical population: study 1. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38, 157-173.]. Previous factor analysis of obsessions or worries have typically been used in developing measures for OCD and GAD symptoms. These studies g enerally support the distinctiveness of obsessions and worries but there ha ve been no direct comparisons of the factor structure of obsession and worr y on the same measure. This study aimed to compare the general structure of worry and obsessional intrusions, It also attempted to identify the relati ons between the respective factors identified in the appraisals of intrusio ns and the factor structures of coping strategies used in reaction to the t houghts. 254 students participated in the study. They first identified an o bsession-like intrusion and a worry and then evaluated them with the Cognit ive Intrusion Questionnaire. Different factor structures were obtained for worry and obsessive intrusive thoughts. However, the factor structure for t he strategies used to counter the thoughts were highly similar for both typ es of thought. Furthermore, regression analysis identified interesting rela tionships between the strategies, the thought characteristics and appraisal . Thus, despite the ability to find differences between obsessive intrusive thoughts and worry, and even to accurately categorize them based on these differences, there may in fact exist common processes that are shared over much of a continuum. Sharp differences in the processes involved may only b ecome clear in prototypical cases. The implications for models of cognitive intrusion are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserve d.