An examination of low distress tolerance and life stressors as factors underlying obsessions

A growing body of research has linked poor distress tolerance (DT) to obsessions, but not other OC symptom domains. However, limited research has been conducted with clinical samples. Further, there is a dearth of research regarding the moderating influence of DT on the contribution of stress to OC symptoms. In Study 1, we sought to test the specificity of the link between poor DT and greater obsessions relative to other OC symptom domains in a clinical sample. In Study 2, we conducted a longitudinal investigation with a non-clinical sample examining DT and daily stressors in the prediction of daily obsessions. For Study 1, 22 outpatients with an OCD diagnosis and 37 healthy controls completed measures of DT, depression, and OC symptoms. For Study 2, 102 undergraduates completed measures of DT at baseline and daily assessments of OC symptoms and stressors twice weekly for one-month. In Study 1, OCD diagnosis was not a significant predictor of DT, though greater obsessions, but not other OC symptoms, were uniquely associated with lower DT. In Study 2, lower baseline DT predicted greater daily obsessions among those experiencing greater daily negative life events, though this relationship was absent among those with elevated DT. The specific association between DT and obsessions was replicated in a clinical sample. Further, results suggest that low DT increases obsessions in the context of life stress.