Prior research suggests that anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic is common.
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High OCD symptoms associated with OCD and COVID intrusions of similar frequency.
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COVID intrusions more distressing than OCD intrusions.
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COVID related intrusions persisted over time.
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Stressors such as the COVID pandemic may increase distressing intrusive thoughts.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a great deal of anxiety for many individuals. Several papers have noted that individuals with OCD may be particularly negatively impacted by COVID-19, and that the threat of COVID-19 may impact treatment (Banerjee, 2020; Jassi et al., 2020; Sheu et al., 2020). The study presented herein examined OCD-related and COVID-related intrusions in a non-patient sample. Individuals with elevated OCD symptoms reported having both OCD and COVID intrusions at a similar frequency. Further, OCD symptom severity was significantly correlated with the frequency of COVID related intrusions and the amount of distress they caused. However, distress from COVID related intrusions was not significantly correlated with OCD symptom severity. These results shed light on the similarities between reactions to objectively elevated threat and the perceptions of elevated threat experienced in OCD.
