Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Cathedral Court, Sheffield, S1 2GN, UK.
Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Cathedral Court, Sheffield, S1 2GN, UK.
J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2022 Sep;76:101724. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2022.101724. Epub 2022 Jan 31.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterised by repeated attempts to suppress obsessive-intrusive thoughts (OITs). Nonclinical individuals also regularly engage in thought suppression. Attempts to suppress OITs are often unsuccessful and there is wide variation in suppression abilities across nonclinical and clinical samples. Understanding the mechanisms that explain variations in suppression abilities could enhance our understanding of OCD. This study aimed to investigate one potential mechanism - working memory - using a comprehensive thought suppression task.
Eighty-three nonclinical participants completed a computerized thought dismissibility task (in which they replaced an obsessive-intrusive thought with a neutral thought), and a computerized working memory task. Participants also completed measures of OCD and negative mood.
None of the suppression variables (OIT frequency, mean OIT duration, mean latency to return, total OIT duration) were correlated with working memory capacity. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms were correlated with total OIT duration, but the relationship was not significant after controlling for negative mood.
The thought dismissibility task does not account for differences in motivation to suppress OITs. The sample was non-clinical and mostly female.
An individual's ability to suppress OITs is not associated with their working memory capacity, suggesting poor working memory does not explain persistent OITs in individuals with OCD.
强迫症（OCD）的特征是反复试图抑制强迫性侵入性思维（OITs）。非临床个体也经常进行思维抑制。抑制 OITs 的尝试通常是不成功的，并且在非临床和临床样本中，抑制能力存在广泛的差异。了解解释抑制能力变化的机制可以增强我们对 OCD 的理解。本研究旨在使用综合的思维抑制任务研究一个潜在的机制——工作记忆。
83 名非临床参与者完成了一项计算机化的思维可消除性任务（他们用中性思维取代了强迫性侵入性思维）和一项计算机化的工作记忆任务。参与者还完成了 OCD 和负性情绪的测量。
没有一个抑制变量（OIT 频率、平均 OIT 持续时间、返回平均潜伏期、总 OIT 持续时间）与工作记忆能力相关。强迫症症状与总 OIT 持续时间相关，但在控制负性情绪后，这种关系并不显著。
思维可消除性任务不能解释抑制 OITs 的动机差异。样本是非临床的，大多数是女性。
个体抑制 OITs 的能力与他们的工作记忆能力无关，这表明在 OCD 患者中，工作记忆差并不能解释持续的 OITs。
