Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T14:20:28.168Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Can Corrective Information Reduce Negative Appraisals of Intrusive Thoughts in a Community Sample?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 November 2013

Clare S. Rees ,
Tomas Austen ,
Rebecca A. Anderson  and
Sarah J. Egan
Clare S. Rees*
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Tomas Austen
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Rebecca A. Anderson
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Sarah J. Egan
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
*
Reprint requests to Clare S. Rees, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background: Improving mental health literacy in the general population is important as it is associated with early detection and treatment-seeking for mental health problems. Target areas for mental health literacy programs should be guided by research that tests the impact of improving knowledge of psychological constructs associated with the development of mental health problems. Aims: This study investigated the impact of providing corrective information about the nature of intrusive thoughts on their subsequent appraisal in a community sample. Method: In an online, experimental design, 148 community participants completed measures of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and appraisals (Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised [OCI-R]; Intrusions Inventory [III]). Individuals were instructed to read either a brief informational text about the nature of intrusive thoughts or a control text. All participants then completed post-test measurements of appraisals. Intervention effectiveness was analysed using hierarchical multiple regression. Results: Individuals in the intervention group reported significantly lower levels of maladaptive appraisals than those in the control group (α = .05). Conclusions: The results of this study support the efficacy of provision of brief written information in reducing negative appraisals of intrusive thoughts in a community sample. It suggests a possible role for education about intrusive thoughts as a prevention strategy for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Keywords

Cognitive therapyintrusionshealth literacyobsessive-compulsive disorderprevention
Type
Brief Clinical Reports
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 42 , Issue 4 , July 2014 , pp. 502 - 507
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Clark, D. A. (2004). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Foa, E. B., Sacks, M. B., Tolin, D. F., Prezworski, A. and Amir, N. (2002). Inflated perception of responsibility for harm in OCD patients with and without checking compulsions: a replication and extension. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 16, 443–453.Google Scholar
Marino-Carper, T., Negy, C., Burns, G. and Lunt, R. A. (2010). The effects of psychoeducation on thought-action fusion, thought suppression and responsibility. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 41, 289–296.Google Scholar
OCCWG (2003). Psychometric validation of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire and the Interpretation of Intrusions Inventory: Part I. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41, 863–878.Google Scholar
OCCWG (2005). Psychometric validation of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire and the Interpretation of Intrusions Inventory: Part 2: factor analyses and testing of a brief version. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43,1527–1542.Google Scholar
Rachman, S. (1997). A cognitive theory of obsessions. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 793–802.Google Scholar
Rees, C. S. (2009). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: a practical guide to treatment. Melbourne: IP Communications.Google Scholar
Salkovskis, P. (1996). Cognitive-behavioural approaches to the understanding of obsessional problems. In Rapee, R.M. (Ed.), Current Controversies in the Anxiety Disorders. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Teachman, B. A., Woody, S. and Magee, J. (2006). Implicit and explicit appraisals of the importance of intrusive thoughts. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 785–805.Google Scholar
Zucker, B., Craske, M. G., Barrios, V. and Holguin, M. (2002). Thought action fusion: can it be corrected? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 653–664.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Rees et al. Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material

Download Rees et al. Supplementary Material(File)
File 210.4 KB
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.