Annabeth Reihl, “Examining Thought-Action-Fusion within the Autogenous-Reactive Model of Obsession-Compulsive Symptoms”
Mentor: Han Joo Lee, Psychology, Letters & Science (College of)
Poster #146
The Autogenous-Reactive (AO/RO) model of obsessions subdivides OCD into two subtypes: AO, involving unrealistic thoughts about the perceived threat of the thoughts themselves, and RO, involving realistic thoughts evoked by external stimuli which focus on the feared consequences of the thoughts. Thought-action-fusion (TAF) is a dysfunctional belief where immoral thoughts are viewed as morally equivalent to acting on them (TAF-Moral; TAF-M) or intrusive thoughts increase the likelihood of them occurring (TAF-Likelihood; TAF-L). This study examines the relationship between TAF-M/TAF-L and AO/RO. A total of 569 undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee completed an online survey containing the Brief Obsessional Compulsive Scale (BOSI) with 2 subscales (AO/RO), Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). After controlling for emotional distress and OCD severity, adding AO and RO scores to the model significantly predicted TAF-M (F (6, 562) = 24.275, p < .001) and explained an additional 1.9% of the variance (∆F (2, 562) = 6.753, p = 0.001). Within this step, only AO (𝛽= 0.119, p = 0.012) was a significant predictor. Another hierarchical model analysis revealed that adding AO and RO scores to the model significantly predicted TAF-L (F (6, 562) = 39.762, p < 0.001) and explained an additional 5.1% of the variance (∆F (2, 562) = 20.569, p < 0.001). Both AO (𝛽= 0.149, p < 0.001) and RO (𝛽= 0.234, p < 0.001) scores were significant predictors. Both AO and RO contributed to TAF-L, while only AO significantly contributed to TAF-M. Individuals with more AO might experience greater TAF bias, suggesting TAF is a potential treatment target. Those with more RO may experience TAF bias in a limited way. These findings highlight a unique relationship between TAF-M/TAF-L and AO/RO, which could inform future personalization of OCD treatment.