Self-Ambivalence Is Indirectly Associated With Obsessive-Compulsive and Eating Disorder Symptoms Through Different...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Uncertainty regarding the self and fear of self are independently linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and eating disorders (EDs).
• Self-ambivalence, characterized by conflicting self-beliefs, may serve as a transdiagnostic factor in psychopathology.
• Understanding the feared self's thematic content could differentiate OCD and ED symptom experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate self-ambivalence as a transdiagnostic factor in OCD and EDs.
• To determine if the thematic content of the feared self is associated with specific disorder symptoms.
• To explore shared processes and divergent trajectories in psychopathology.

Main Methods:

• 138 undergraduate and community women completed questionnaires.
• Measures included self-ambivalence, fear of self (corrupted, culpable, unattractive), and OCD/ED symptoms.
• Path analysis was used to examine direct and indirect associations.

Main Results:

• Self-ambivalence directly correlated with both OCD and ED symptoms.
• Self-ambivalence indirectly linked to OCD via the feared corrupted self.
• Self-ambivalence indirectly linked to EDs via the feared unattractive self; no link found via the feared culpable self.

Conclusions:

• Self-ambivalence is a significant factor in psychopathology, meriting further research for intervention and prevention.
• Feared self-themes may explain why individuals develop OCD versus EDs, despite shared underlying factors.
• This research supports and enhances transdiagnostic models of psychopathology that integrate the self.