IngentaConnect Hierarchical Structure of Dysfunctional Beliefs in ObsessiveCompu...

Authors: Taylor, Steven¹; McKay, Dean²; Abramowitz, Jonathan³

Source: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Volume 34, Number 4, December 2005 , pp. 216-228(13)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

The Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire was developed as a comprehensive measure of dysfunctional beliefs, which cognitive models consider to be etiologically related to obsessive‐compulsive disorder. Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire subscales tend to be highly correlated, which raises the question of whether obsessive‐compulsive‐related beliefs are hierarchically structured, consisting of lower‐order factors loading on 1 or more higher‐order factors. To investigate the nature and relative importance of these factors, a hierarchical factor analysis was conducted ( n = 202 obsessive‐compulsive disorder patients), using a Schmid‐Leiman transformation. Results indicated a higher‐order (general factor) and 3 lower‐order factors: (i) responsibility and overestimation of threat, (ii) perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty and (iii) importance and control of thoughts. The high‐order factor accounted for more variance in Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire scores (22%) than did the lower‐order factors (6-7%), thereby underscoring the importance of the higher‐order factor. Despite the importance of the higher‐order factor, the lower‐order factors significantly predicted unique variance in measures of obsessive‐compulsive symptoms, including severity ratings of compulsions. These finding suggest that cognitive models of obsessive‐compulsive disorder should take into consideration the hierarchic structure of obsessive‐compulsive‐related beliefs.

Keywords: obsessive‐compulsive disorder; dysfunctional beliefs; cognitive‐behavioral theories; hierarchical factor analysis

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/16506070510041167

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada 2: Fordham University, New York, USA 3: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA

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Hierarchical Structure of Dysfunctional Beliefs in Obsessive‐Compulsive Disorder