title: Metacognition and episodic memory in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: Memory deficits in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been frequently reported but are not sufficiently accounted for by cognitive models of OCD. The aim of the study was to identify cognitive mechanisms that might be able to explain memory deficits in OCD. We hypothesized that a self-conscious meta-cognitive style might be responsible for reduced memory performance in OCD. Episodic verbal memory performance was assessed in 23 participants with OCD (DSM-IV criteria) and 22 matched controls. Cognitive self-consciousness was assessed with a self-report measure derived from the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire (MCQ). Compared to controls, OCD participants showed reduced immediate and delayed recall of complex verbal material and increased self-reported levels of cognitive self-consciousness. Multiple regression analyses indicated that group differences in story recall were significantly mediated by self-reported trait cognitive self-consciousness. Results point to the deteriorating effects of a thought-focused cognitive style on effortful encoding processes in OCD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Gutenbergstrasse 18, D-35032 Marburg, Germany. exnerc@staff.uni-marburg.de
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Exner
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kohl
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zaudig
authors.forename: Gernot
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Langs
authors.forename: Tania M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lincoln
authors.forename: Winfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rief
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D011939:Mental Recall; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires