Overduin, MK; (2013) Phenomenology, etiology, and the religious counterpart of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Masters thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis reviewed the current state of research, including methodology, on the phenomenology and etiology of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), in addition to investigating predictors of its religious counterpart - scrupulosity. This thesis is organized into two theoretical chapters, two psychometric chapters, one empirical chapter, and one summary chapter. The first theoretical chapter introduced OCD as a diagnostic entity, and analyzed symptom structure and conceptualization of the disorder’s heterogeneous symptoms. Chapter three, and first psychometric chapter, critically reviewed commonly used assessment methods of OCD in adults. The second theoretical chapter discussed the cognitive account of OCD’s etiology, including three cognitive-behavioral models, and proposed a synthesis with the neurobiological etiological account of OCD. In the fifth chapter of this thesis, and second psychometric chapter, measures of obsessive beliefs and appraisals were reviewed. The sixth chapter of this thesis, the empirical chapter, examined the relationships between religion, obsessive-compulsive beliefs, and scrupulosity. Self-report questionnaires were used to measure strength of religious faith, maladaptive beliefs, and the tendency to blur thoughts and actions. Significant evidence of predictors and mediating effects in relation to scrupulosity and obsessive beliefs was found and discussed. This is the first study, to my knowledge, that demonstrated significant empirical support for applying cognitive-behavioral theory of obsessions to scrupulosity. The chapter concluded with a consideration of limitations, recommendations for future research, and implications for treatment. Finally, the last chapter provided a general summary of the thesis, including implications for OCD’s conceptualization, measurement, and clinical practice.

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