Unrealistic pessimism and obsessive-compulsive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: Two longitudinal studies

IF 3.8 3区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

British Journal of Clinical Psychology Pub Date : 2022-02-16 DOI:10.1111/bjc.12362

Lena Jelinek, Gloria Röhrig, Steffen Moritz, Anja S. Göritz, Ulrich Voderholzer, Anja Riesel, Amir H. Yassari, Franziska Miegel

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引用次数: 3

Abstract

Objective

Unrealistic pessimism (UP) is an aspect of overestimation of threat (OET) that has been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder/symptoms (OCD/OCS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, UP may have played an important role in the course of OCD. To investigate the relationship, we conducted two longitudinal studies assuming that higher UP predicts an increase in OCS.

Method

In Study 1, we investigated UP in the general population (N = 1,184) at the start of the pandemic asking about overall vulnerability to infection with SARS-CoV-2 and UP regarding infection and outcome of severe illness. Further, OCS status (OCS+/−) was assessed at the start of the pandemic and 3 months later. In Study 2, we investigated UP in individuals with OCD (N = 268) regarding the likelihood of getting infected, recovering, or dying from an infection with SARS-CoV-2 at the start of the pandemic and re-assessed OCS 3 months later.

Results

In Study 1, UP was higher in the OCS+ compared to the OCS− group, and estimates of a higher overall vulnerability for an infection predicted a decrease in OCS over time. UP regarding severe illness predicted an increase in symptoms over time. In Study 2, UP was found for a recovery and death after an infection with SARS-CoV-2, but not for infection itself.

Conclusions

Exaggeration of one’s personal vulnerability rather than OET per se seems pivotal in OCD, with UP being associated with OCD/OCS+ as well as a more negative course of symptomatology over the pandemic in a nonclinical sample.

Practitioner points

Unrealistic optimism, a bias common in healthy individuals, is thought to be a coping mechanism promoting well-being in the face of danger or uncertainty.
The current study extends findings that its inversion, unrealistic pessimism, may play an important role in obsessive-compulsive disorder and may also be involved in the development of the disorder.
This study highlights the importance that prevention programs during a pandemic should include targeting unrealistic pessimism.

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COVID-19大流行期间不切实际的悲观主义和强迫症症状:两项纵向研究

不现实悲观主义(UP)是威胁高估(OET)的一个方面，与强迫症/症状(OCD/OCS)有关。在COVID-19大流行期间，UP可能在强迫症的过程中发挥了重要作用。为了调查两者之间的关系，我们进行了两项纵向研究，假设UP越高，OCS越高。方法在研究1中，我们在大流行开始时调查了普通人群(N = 1184)的UP，询问了对SARS-CoV-2感染的总体易感性，以及关于感染和严重疾病结局的UP。此外，在大流行开始时和3个月后评估了OCS状态(OCS+/ -)。在研究2中，我们调查了强迫症患者(N = 268)在大流行开始时感染、恢复或死于SARS-CoV-2感染的可能性，并在3个月后重新评估了OCS。结果在研究1中，与OCS -组相比，OCS+组的UP更高，并且对感染的总体易感性更高的估计预示着OCS随着时间的推移而降低。关于严重疾病的UP预测，随着时间的推移，症状会增加。在研究2中，发现UP与SARS-CoV-2感染后的恢复和死亡有关，但与感染本身无关。夸大个人脆弱性而非OET本身似乎是强迫症的关键，在非临床样本中，UP与强迫症/OCS+以及更消极的症状学过程有关。从业者指出，健康个体普遍存在的一种偏见——不切实际的乐观主义，被认为是一种在面对危险或不确定性时促进幸福的应对机制。目前的研究扩展了其反转的发现，即不切实际的悲观主义，可能在强迫症中发挥重要作用，也可能与强迫症的发展有关。这项研究强调了大流行期间的预防规划应包括针对不切实际的悲观情绪的重要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

British Journal of Clinical Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL-

CiteScore

5.80

自引率

3.20%

发文量

期刊介绍： The British Journal of Clinical Psychology publishes original research, both empirical and theoretical, on all aspects of clinical psychology: - clinical and abnormal psychology featuring descriptive or experimental studies - aetiology, assessment and treatment of the whole range of psychological disorders irrespective of age group and setting - biological influences on individual behaviour - studies of psychological interventions and treatment on individuals, dyads, families and groups