Cognitive intrusions in a non-clinical population. II. Associations with depressive, anxious, and compulsive symptoms

The relationships between experimental dimensions of cognitive intrusions and depressive, anxious, and compulsive symptoms were studied among 125 university students. The students completed a questionnaire describing and evaluating seven cognitive intrusions and inventories of depressive, anxious, and compulsive symptoms. Principal component factor analysis on the 14 cognitive intrusion questionnaire dimensions identified five factors that were interpreted as general distress, evaluation, control, diversity and attention. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that effortful strategies in response to cognitive intrusions, general distress and diversity were predictors of both Beck Depression and Beck Anxiety Inventory scores. The evaluation factor consisting of perceived responsibility, disapproval and guilt ratings was also associated with depression and was the only significant predictor of Compulsive Activity Checklist scores. The control factor, consisting of items describing successful application of response strategies, was negatively related to BAI scores. The results are discussed as providing support for Salkovskis' formulation of obsessive-compulsive disorder.