Intrusions related to obsessive-compulsive disorder: a question of content or context?

The aim of the current study was to investigate whether intrusions of individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and nonclinical individuals differed in content and in context of occurrence. The results suggest that although the intrusions of OCD and nonclinical individuals are similar in content, they differ in their context of occurrence. Chi square analyses revealed that the intrusions of nonclinical participants were more likely to be directly linked than indirectly linked to observations in the here and now, whereas the intrusions of participants with OCD were more prone to be indirectly linked than directly linked to triggers in the environment at the time they occurred. The implications of the results for cognitive models of OCD are discussed.