Inflated perception of responsibility for harm in OCD patients with and without checking compulsions: a replication and extension

In a follow-up study to [J. Anxiety Disord., in press] examination of inflated perception of responsibility for harm among individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCs), 22 OC checkers, 24 OC non-checkers, and 25 non-anxious controls (NACs) completed the Obsessive Compulsive Responsibility Scale (OCRS), which consisted of written descriptions of Low-Risk (LR), Moderate-Risk (MR), and High-Risk (HR) scenarios. In LR and MR scenarios, OC checkers reported greater perception of responsibility for harm and greater relief upon rectifying the situation, than did NACs. OC checkers also reported greater urges to rectify LR situations than did NACs. OC non-checkers did not differ from NACs on any of the scales. No group differences emerged for HR scenarios. The results suggest that, compared to OC non-checkers and to NACs, OC checkers have an inflated perception of responsibility for harm; and that this perception leads to a need to rectify potentially harmful situations.