Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2011 Nov;49(11):756-62.
doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2011.08.003. Epub 2011 Aug 11.

Attentional control in OCD and GAD: specificity and associations with core cognitive symptoms

Thomas Armstrong  1 , David H Zald, Bunmi O Olatunji
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Attentional control in OCD and GAD: specificity and associations with core cognitive symptoms

Thomas Armstrong et al. Behav Res Ther. 2011 Nov.

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are both defined by excessive negatively-valenced cognitions. Although obsessional thoughts are considered essential to OCD and perseverative worry is considered essential to GAD, these excessive cognitions have been found to co-occur in both disorders. Accordingly, a common diathesis may influence the emergence of excessive thoughts in both disorders. The present study examined deficits in attentional control as a cognitive vulnerability that may contribute to both obsessional thought and perseverative worry. Patients with OCD (n=30), GAD (n=29), and non-clinical controls (NCC; n=29) completed measures of obsessional thoughts, perseverative worry, and attentional control. Deficits in self-reported attentional control were found in both OCD and GAD relative to the NCC. However, attentional control was only related to excessive cognition in the GAD patient group, where deficits were associated with increased perseverative worry. Mediational modeling suggested that trait anxiety mediated the relationship between attentional control and perseverative worry in GAD. Implications of these findings for conceptualizing the role of attentional control in the genesis of excessive cognitions in OCD and GAD are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Mediational model of the relations between attentional control, trait anxiety, and perseverative worry in GAD
Note: ** p< .01, *** p< .001; GAD = generalized anxiety disorder; ACS = Attentional Control Scale; STAI-T =State Trait Anxiety Inventory—Trait Version, Form Y; PSWQ = Penn State Worry Questionnaire
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed., text rev. Washington, DC: Author; 2000.
    1. Amir N, Beard C, Burns M, Bomyea J. Attention modification program in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2009;118:28–33. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1986;51:1173–1182. - PubMed
    1. Barrett PM, Healy L. An examination of the cognitive processes involved in childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2003;41:285–299. - PubMed
    1. Barrett LF, Tugade MM, Engle R. Individual differences in working memory capacity and dual-process theories of the mind. Psychological Bulletin. 2004;130:553–573. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types