Publication Date

2020

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Wu, Kevin D.

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

There are many similarities between the presentations of individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and individuals with eating pathology. These include similar obsessive thoughts, repetitive actions, and shared personality characteristics, such as perfectionism. However, similarities may extend beyond that of DSM-based symptomatology to include an important cognitive process called thought-action fusion (TAF). Thought-action fusion is a construct derived from the OCD literature wherein individuals feel that there may be a connection between their thoughts and real-world outcomes. There has been considerable research illustrating the impact TAF has on individuals with OCD, both in terms of development and maintenance of obsessions and compulsions. Studies have illustrated that the experience of TAF is not limited to individuals with OCD. In this context, individuals who present with eating disorders offer an interesting – and perhaps important – population to study. The current study sought to examine the degree to which TAF relates to both OCD symptoms and eating disorder symptoms, using an explicitly dimensional/correlational approach.

Seventy undergraduate students from Northern Illinois University were recruited for this in-person study. Participants completed a number of questionnaires, as well as the Sentence Task that is thought to be a behavioral induction of TAF. Per self-report symptom question- naires, there was no significant relationship between TAF and symptoms of eating disorders (p = .05), whereas there were significant correlations between the TAFS and symptoms of OCD and symptoms of depression. The Sentence Task did significantly increase self-reported state anxiety levels from pre- to post-Task, but no symptom scores—including the TAFS—were able to significantly predict the magnitude of that change, calling into question the construct validity of the Task. Limitations of the present study are considered, as well as implications for future research.

Extent

125 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS