Pathways to inflated responsibility beliefs in adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder: a preliminary investigation

Lawrence, P. J. P. and Williams, T. I. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0072-3316 (2011) Pathways to inflated responsibility beliefs in adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder: a preliminary investigation. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 39 (2). pp. 229-234. ISSN 1352-4658 doi: 10.1017/S1352465810000810

Abstract/Summary

Background: An inflated sense of responsibility is characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). No previous studies have investigated its origins. Five potential pathways to inflated responsibility beliefs have been proposed; these are tested in this study. Method: A novel measure, the Origins Questionnaire for Adolescents (OQA), was developed to assess experiences on these five pathways. Reliability of the OQA was investigated. The experiences on the five pathways to inflated responsibility beliefs of sixteen adolescents with a history of OCD were compared to sixteen adolescents with no history of OCD. Parents also reported on adolescents’ experiences on the five pathways. Results: Inter-rater reliability was high. The internal consistency of the subscales were only partly satisfactory. The groups differed on one pathway; the clinical group reported a higher sense of responsibility for significant incidents with a negative outcome prior to onset of OCD. Conclusions: An inflated sense of responsibility, in combination with the occurrence of specific incidents, might act as a vulnerability factor for development of OCD. Future research should consider how to measure the subtle effects of experiences of responsibility over the course of development.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/18191
Identification Number/DOI	10.1017/S1352465810000810
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary centres and themes > ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) Research Network Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Psychopathology and Affective Neuroscience Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
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