OCD cognitions and symptoms in different religious contexts

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Religious Studies

Background:

• Religious themes are frequently observed in obsessions.
• Religiosity is theorized as a potential risk factor for OCD, influenced by religious acculturation impacting thought appraisals.
• Existing research suggests religiosity's relationship with OCD cognitions may vary across different religions due to doctrinal differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between religiosity and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms and cognitions within diverse religious settings.
• To compare OCD features in Muslim and Christian participants from Turkey and Canada, respectively, considering their levels of religiosity.

Main Methods:

• Comparative study design.
• Inclusion of Muslim participants from Turkey and Christian participants from Canada.
• Assessment of OCD symptoms, cognitions, and religiosity levels.

Main Results:

• Muslim participants with higher OCD symptoms reported greater concern with and control over their thoughts, using worry as a management strategy.
• Highly religious individuals across both groups experienced more obsessional thoughts and checking behaviors.
• Sensitivity to thoughts, emphasis on thought control, and psychological fusion in morality were more pronounced in highly religious subjects.
• The degree of religiosity significantly influenced thought-action fusion in morality, particularly for Christian participants.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms an association between religiosity and OCD across two monotheistic religions.
• Differences in religious characteristics may explain variations in OCD cognitions and symptoms observed between the two religious groups.