The impact of modifying obsessive-compulsive beliefs about perfectionism

Cognitive-behavioural models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suggest that maladaptive beliefs about perfectionism play a key role in the development and maintenance of OCD. Cognitive-bias modification for interpretation bias (CBM-I) is an experimental procedure that can test this proposed causal relation.

As such, the current study investigated whether multiple CBM-I sessions administered in different contexts can modify perfectionism biases. Undergraduate students high in OCD-related perfectionism beliefs were randomly allocated to either an experimental (n = 44) or control (n = 44) training condition and completed self-report and behavioural measures of perfectionism and OCD symptoms.

As predicted, relative to the control condition, participants in the experimental condition exhibited a significant decrease in perfectionism beliefs, from baseline to after one CBM-I training session, which was maintained at one-week follow-up. Contrary to hypotheses, there were no significant differences between conditions on measures of OCD symptoms and perfectionistic behaviour.

Issues with the current study's behavioural measures may have precluded any differences between conditions.

Results underscore the need to further refine cognitive-behavioural models of OCD to understand the precise causal relation between beliefs and symptoms.