Predicting obsessive-compulsive symptoms based on anxiety sensitivity and cognitive deficits

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to predict obsessive-compulsive symptoms based on anxiety sensitivity and cognitive deficit.

Methods and Materials: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 400 adult participants selected through simple random sampling based on the Morgan and Krejcie table. Data were collected using the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3), and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). Data analysis was performed using SPSS-27 through Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis.

Findings: The results indicated a positive and significant correlation between anxiety sensitivity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (r=.54, p<.01), and between cognitive deficits and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (r=.48, p<.01). Regression analysis revealed that anxiety sensitivity (β=.42, p<.001) and cognitive deficits (β=.36, p<.001) were significant predictors of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, with the model explaining 34% of the variance in obsessive-compulsive symptoms (R²=.34).

Conclusion: Anxiety sensitivity and cognitive deficits play significant roles in predicting the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms; therefore, therapeutic interventions should specifically target these components.