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Can Corrective Information Reduce Negative Appraisals of Intrusive Thoughts in a Community Sample?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 November 2013

Clare S. Rees ,
Tomas Austen ,
Rebecca A. Anderson  and
Sarah J. Egan
Clare S. Rees*
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Tomas Austen
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Rebecca A. Anderson
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Sarah J. Egan
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
*
Reprint requests to Clare S. Rees, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background: Improving mental health literacy in the general population is important as it is associated with early detection and treatment-seeking for mental health problems. Target areas for mental health literacy programs should be guided by research that tests the impact of improving knowledge of psychological constructs associated with the development of mental health problems. Aims: This study investigated the impact of providing corrective information about the nature of intrusive thoughts on their subsequent appraisal in a community sample. Method: In an online, experimental design, 148 community participants completed measures of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and appraisals (Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised [OCI-R]; Intrusions Inventory [III]). Individuals were instructed to read either a brief informational text about the nature of intrusive thoughts or a control text. All participants then completed post-test measurements of appraisals. Intervention effectiveness was analysed using hierarchical multiple regression. Results: Individuals in the intervention group reported significantly lower levels of maladaptive appraisals than those in the control group (α = .05). Conclusions: The results of this study support the efficacy of provision of brief written information in reducing negative appraisals of intrusive thoughts in a community sample. It suggests a possible role for education about intrusive thoughts as a prevention strategy for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Keywords

Cognitive therapyintrusionshealth literacyobsessive-compulsive disorderprevention
Type
Brief Clinical Reports
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 42 , Issue 4 , July 2014 , pp. 502 - 507
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2013 

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