Exploring the Relationship between Intrusive and Cognitive Thought Patterns and the Development of Mental Health Disorders: A Comparative Study of Anxiety, Depression, and OCD

Description

Page: 579-585

Kanan and Ranju Lal (Department of Psychology, School of Liberal Education, Galgotias University, Uttar Pradesh)

In a non-clinical population, this study investigates the connection between intrusive and cognitive thought patterns and their effects on mental health conditions, specifically OCD, anxiety, and depression. Data were gathered from 111 participants, ages 18 to 25, who had no previous clinical diagnoses, using a quantitative cross-sectional approach. The White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI) was created in 1994 by Wegner and Zanakos, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) was created in 1998 by Foa and associates. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Thought-Action Fusion Scale-Revised (TAFS-R) invented by Lovibond and Lovibond (1995) were among the important measures. To investigate relationships between intrusive thoughts, cognitive distortions, and symptom severity, statistical methods including Pearson’s correlation, t-tests, and ANOVA were utilized. The results show that TAFS-R and OCI-R scores significantly positively correlate (r = 0.632, p <.001), indicating that thought-action fusion plays a part in the severity of OCD. When compared to the anxiety and depression groups, the ANOVA results showed that OCD sufferers had higher levels of stress and anxiety (F = 3.010, p = 0.000 for anxiety; F = 2.381, p = 0.001 for stress). These findings highlight the necessity for focused cognitive-behavioral therapies by highlighting the interaction of maladaptive thought patterns and their role in mental health issues.