Separation-distress as an affective mechanism of OCD
Doctoral Thesis
2009
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University of Cape Town
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In this thesis, a series of four studies were carried out to address the question of whether separation distress (the associated feeling state of the basic emotion substrate PANIC; Panksepp, 1998) is a significant constituent of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The aim was to characterize more accurately the affective nature of the disorder. Separation-distress and separation trauma were examined in samples of people with high scores on measures of obsessionality and low mood, and in patients with clinical OCD and depression; as well as in control groups. The Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire (Cartwright-Hatton & Wells, 1997) Padua Inventory (Sanavio, 1988), Major Depression Inventory (Olsen, Jensen, Noerholm, Martiny, & Bech, 2003) and Positive and Negative Affect Scales (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) were used to position participants from low- to high-scoring on spectrums of obsessionality and low mood (Studies I and II) and of OCD and depression (Studies III and IV). Participants were then evaluated on measures of separation-distress, using the Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (Silove et al., 1993), the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (Cyranowski et al., 2002), the Adult Separation Anxiety Checklist (Manicavasagar, Silove, Wagner, & Drobny, 2003) and the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (Davis, Panksepp, & Normansell, 2003). Descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlational analysis, independent and dependent t tests and mediation, confirmed that separation-distress is significantly and consistently higher in those who score higher on obsessionality and low mood, as well as in patients with OCD and depression. Heightened separation-distress is therefore strongly implicated in both OCD and depression. It was also found to be a critical variable in the well-recognized comorbidity of the two disorders. Chisquare contingency analysis was performed on the categorical data collected for early separation trauma experiences. The results showed that the development of OCD and/or depression in adulthood is highly contingent on the experience of separation trauma during critical early life periods. The main hypothesis, that separation-distress is a central affective mechanism of OCD, was confirmed.
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-171).
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Jackson, M. 2009. Separation-distress as an affective mechanism of OCD. University of Cape Town.