The expression of anger and its relationship to symptoms and cognitions in obsessive–compulsive disorder

✍ Scribed by Stephen P. Whiteside; Jonathan S. Abramowitz

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 92 KB
• Volume: 21
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1091-4269
• DOI: 10.1002/da.20066

✦ Synopsis

We compared the association between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the expression of anger in a sample of 71 patients and 71 college students. Some authors [Rubenstein et al., J Anxiety Disord 1995;9:1-9] have proposed that anger and hostility underlie the symptoms of OCD; however, there has been little empirical study of this relationship. One recent study [Whiteside and Abramowitz, Cog Therapy Res 2004;28:259-268] with college undergraduates found that the association between OCD symptoms and anger was attributable to depressive symptoms. In the present study, we compared the expression of anger in a sample of patients diagnosed with OCD and nonclinical volunteers. Consistent with the previous study, we found increased levels of anger in patients with OCD as compared to control participants; however, these differences could be attributed to between-group differences in general distress. These results were discussed within the framework of the cognitive theory of OCD. Depression and Anxiety 21:106-111, 2005.