title: Inferential confusion in obsessive-compulsive disorder: the inferential confusion questionnaire.
abstract: The current article represents the further validation of the construct of inferential confusion amongst clinical samples. Inferential confusion is proposed to be a meta-cognitive confusion particularly relevant to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) that leads a person to confuse an imagined possibility with an actual probability. As such, it conceptualizes OCD as a form of belief disorder similar to a delusion or overvalued idea that is a product of distorted reasoning processes. In contrast, other cognitive models of OCD emphasize a phobic model of development in OCD, and thus consider the exaggerated interpretation of intrusions as an essential element in OCD. The present study administered a revised version of the Inferential Confusion Questionnaire, and the Obsessive Belief Questionnaire (OBQ), to a total of 183 participants in three clinical groups and a non-clinical control group. Results suggest that OCD, at least in part, follows a non-phobic model of development with inferential confusion significantly related to obsessive-compulsive symptoms independently of cognitive domains as measured by the OBQ, and mood states. Further, scores on inferential confusion were particularly high in those with OCD and delusional disorder as compared to anxious and non-clinical controls.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche Fernand-Seguin, 7331 Hochelaga, Montréal, Qué., Canada H1N 3V2. frederick.aardema@crfs.umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aardema
authors.forename: Kieron P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Paul M G
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Emmelkamp
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marchand
authors.forename: Christo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Todorov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D003221:Confusion / Q000523:psychology*; D003702:Delusions / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012449:Safety; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires